UN Migration Agency Reports Over 1,600 Newly Displaced in Yemen Amid Escalating Conflict

ADEN — The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Wednesday that more than 1,600 people were displaced across Yemen in the past week as fighting intensified between government forces and Houthi militants.

In a statement published on its website, the UN agency reported that 274 families totaling 1,644 individuals were uprooted between August 23 and 29. Taiz province accounted for the majority, with 215 families fleeing to safer areas, particularly in the districts of Mawza, Maqbanah, and Mokha.

Additional displacements were recorded in Hodeidah (23 families), Marib (17), Lahj (12), and Hadramawt (7). The IOM said security concerns were the primary driver, forcing 261 families 95 percent of the total to leave their homes, while 12 families cited economic hardship linked to the conflict.

The agency noted that cumulative internal displacement since January has reached 2,631 families, comprising 15,786 people.

Renewed clashes have erupted since early July across several provinces, including Marib, al-Jawf, al-Dhalea, and Taiz, breaking a relative lull that had held since April 2022. 

The war, which began more than 12 years ago, has left the Houthis in control of large swathes of territory, including the capital Sana’a.

The Saudi-led coalition continues to back government forces, while Iran is accused of supporting the Houthis, who in July 2026 declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.