Yemeni families are crossing the Bab al-Mandab strait to Djibouti as renewed fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed pro-government forces drives people from coastal communities, according to residents and the United Nations.
At Markazi camp in Obock, northern Djibouti, newly arrived families are sheltering in a facility jointly administered by the government and the UN. Refugees told the BBC they had fled air strikes and the sound of aircraft, with many arriving by boat before continuing by truck or on foot to the camp.
Ibrahim Issa, a 50-year-old fisherman from the coastal town of Dhubab, said he left with his family after his children became terrified by the fighting. He used his own fishing boat for the crossing and brought several goats with him. Other families arrived with only the clothes they were wearing, while some carried limited belongings from home.
Displacement rises as military operations expand
More than 3,000 refugees have reached the camp in recent days, the report said. The UN estimates that over 120,000 Yemenis have been displaced by the recent surge in fighting along the country’s Red Sea coast.
The Houthis, who had previously taken control of much of Yemen’s populated areas, moved rapidly down the coast towards Bab al-Mandab, a strategic maritime passage connecting the southern Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government, has responded with hundreds of air strikes across the coastal plain, where Houthi forces are reported to be establishing positions.
The Houthis have also launched hundreds of drones and missiles at cities and infrastructure in south-western Saudi Arabia. Refugees at Markazi camp said they were focused on escaping bombardment rather than identifying which side was responsible. Qassim Abraham Abssy, a former fisherman whose identity card gives his age as 100, said aircraft and bombing had prompted his family to leave for the safety of their children.
Djibouti has said it does not intend to become involved in the conflict. The country lies directly across the water from Yemen and hosts major foreign military facilities, including a US multinational base and a Chinese base.
Families uncertain when they can return
Some refugees in the camp have lived in Djibouti since fighting first intensified in 2015. Mohammed Abdullarim, a 63-year-old former tour guide from Aden, said he had remained at Markazi since leaving Yemen during the earlier conflict and appealed for continued assistance for people in the camp.
Yemen’s civil war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions since 2014, according to the report. A UN-brokered truce reached in 2022 between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has deteriorated in recent months, with both sides exchanging missile, drone and air attacks.
For recent arrivals, any return depends on whether the conflict subsides. Aisha Abdulkadir Mohammed said her family would return if peace came back to Yemen, adding that safety, food, water and education were essential for their children.
Source: BBC News
