Yemeni Displacement Camps Overflow as Houthi Offensive Displaces 100,000

TAIZ, Yemen – Hunger camps in Yemen’s Taiz governorate are rapidly filling with people fleeing intense clashes between government forces and Houthi rebels, a surge of more than 100,000 displaced individuals reported by the United Nations refugee agency.

The rapid Houthi offensive has forced families to abandon their homes with few possessions. Among them is 70-year-old Hajja Fatima Mohammed Saleh, whose village in the Maqbanah district sits at the epicenter of the latest assault. The Iran-backed group, also known as Ansar Allah, seized control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast, including the strategic port city of Mocha, in last week’s attacks.

“The attack was massive, we had never seen anything like it before. Shells were falling heavily on the village, and bullets were flying in every direction,” Saleh told Al Jazeera. She recounted fleeing on foot through rain and floods, having to crawl for long distances because she could not leave her wheelchair behind due to the rough terrain.

Ali al-Shumairi, director-general of the Executive Unit for the Management of IDP Camps in Taiz, stated that 65,845 people have been displaced between August 10 and September 15. Approximately 95 percent of these individuals originate from five districts that experienced the heaviest combat: Jabal Habashi, al-Maafer, Maqbana, al-Wazi’iyah, and Mawza.

UN agencies and the internationally recognized Yemeni government warn that Taiz City, located in the southwest, is among the Houthis’ next targets following their victory on the Red Sea coast. This escalation threatens to further deteriorate an already dire humanitarian situation.

Fighting has intensified on multiple fronts, with government forces launching air strikes on Houthi positions in an effort to recapture Mocha. The conflict has drawn global attention to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a critical shipping lane connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The area’s volatility amplifies pressure on international trade routes and places it at the center of broader geopolitical tensions involving the United States and Iran.

Yemen’s civil war, which has raged for over a decade, was reignited in July after the Houthis declared a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia and began targeting ships in the Red Sea. This move threatened the UN-brokered truce that had halted large-scale violence since 2022. Since last week, forces affiliated with the Yemeni government have launched campaigns across several fronts, retaking some positions while advancing in southwestern Taiz province.

Osama al-Wafi, supervisor of the Mushrifa camp in Wadi Bikhawlan and a representative of the government’s Executive Unit in Jabal Habashi district, described the conditions as “dire and tragic.” He noted that more than 1,500 families have arrived at the camp in the past six days, many forced to live in the open due to a severe lack of shelter.

The al-Munij camp, located about 40 kilometers southwest of the semi-besieged city of Taiz, has become a primary refuge for those fleeing renewed conflict. Originally established after clashes in 2020, the camp has expanded over two square kilometers. However, residents complain of inadequate access to basic services, including sporadic drinking water and insufficient toilets.

Hajj Saif Qaed Thabet, 73, has lived in an exposed tent without doors since arriving at al-Munij on September 10. He left behind his farm and livestock in al-Kadaha, western Taiz, after fleeing artillery and gunfire. “We were displaced because of the war… Now they are only looking for a shelter to house them,” Thabet said. “Praise be to God in all circumstances.”

Malouk Ahmed Ali, 55, escaped drones, shelling, and gunfire on foot with a family of 14, including five children under her care, seven under her daughter’s, and her elderly grandmother. They were eventually transported by military vehicle to the camp, where they were placed in a small tent.

Ali expressed hope that the war would end soon, allowing her family to return home, though she believes their possessions, including solar panels and batteries, are lost. She added that most of their livestock either died or was looted during the chaos.