More than 250,000 displaced in Yemen since August, UN says

More than 250,000 people have been displaced within Yemen since Aug. 1 amid renewed fighting between the Saudi-backed government and the Iran-aligned Houthis, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Tuesday, according to AFP.

The figure covers the period through Oct. 17, UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters in Geneva, expressing concern over the worsening displacement crisis.

Yemen returned to war in July after several years of relative calm, as the country was drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran in late February. The Houthis, who control Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, advanced along the country's western coast in the days following the resumption of hostilities.

Saudi Arabia has since carried out daily airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas, further escalating the conflict, which has killed hundreds of people and deepened the country's humanitarian crisis.

Taiz province in western Yemen has been particularly affected, accounting for 76% of departures from areas of displacement and hosting 52% of newly displaced people, Saltmarsh said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that intensified fighting, mass displacement and rising disease outbreaks were placing further strain on Yemen's already overburdened health system.

Fighting and road closures are disrupting hospitals' access to fuel, oxygen, medicines and other essential supplies, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said, warning that the situation in Taiz was particularly critical.

Suspected cholera cases have also risen sharply, from 221 a week in early September to 683 in early October, Jasarevic said. Overcrowded displacement sites and inadequate access to clean water and sanitation are increasing public health risks, he added.

UNHCR said it was providing emergency cash assistance, expanding emergency accommodation and distributing shelter materials and essential items to newly displaced families.

Humanitarian operations remain hampered by access restrictions, particularly around the Kharaz camp in southern Lahj province, which hosts nearly 10,000 people, Saltmarsh said.

More than 65,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia, remain in Yemen and are among those most severely affected by the renewed fighting, he added.

As of Oct. 17, UNHCR had recorded 4,078 Yemeni refugees in neighboring countries, including 3,836 in Djibouti and 242 in Somalia. No new arrivals from Yemen were reported in Djibouti between Oct. 8 and 14.ACCORDI