UN Warns of Rapidly Deteriorating Humanitarian Crisis for Refugees in Yemen

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, more than 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers across Yemen are confronting a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, with escalating insecurity, diminishing resources, and restricted humanitarian access placing thousands of lives at severe risk, according to Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesperson for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, Saltmarsh highlighted that conditions are particularly critical at the Kharaz refugee camp in the southwestern governorate of Lahij, which hosts approximately 9,500 refugees primarily from Somalia and Ethiopia.

While no casualties have been reported directly within the camp, recent artillery shelling in adjacent areas has disrupted essential services, restricted freedom of movement, and forced the closure of educational facilities, legal services, and documentation centers, the UNHCR official explained.

To escape the growing insecurity, several families have attempted to relocate toward southern areas such as Aden; however, traversing routes controlled by various parties to the conflict exposes them to heightened threats and dangers.

Saltmarsh further noted that since the intensification of clashes in August, the UN agency has successfully facilitated the voluntary return of 607 Somali nationals from Aden to Mogadishu across three flights. Additionally, over 1,100 individuals have registered their desire to return, but persistent tensions and ongoing attacks continue to obstruct the implementation of these repatriation plans.

The report also indicates that during the first nine months of 2026, roughly 134,000 migrants and refugees arrived in Yemen by sea, reflecting an increase of nearly 22 percent compared to the same period last year.

Addressing financial constraints, Saltmarsh voiced concern that the UNHCR’s funding appeal for humanitarian assistance in Yemen this year is only 19 percent funded, severely limiting the organization’s capacity to address the mounting needs of displaced populations and refugees.

Yemen has been mired in widespread conflict and political crisis since 2014 following the military intervention led by Saudi Arabia and its allies. Due to its strategic transit location along migration routes from the Horn of Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, the country remains a key destination and refuge for numerous migrants from Somalia and اتیوپی (Ethiopia), whose livelihoods have been severely disrupted by ongoing instability.