UN Reveals Extent of Humanitarian Crisis Stalking Refugees in Yemen

Yemen Monitor/ Newsroom: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Tuesday that more than 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen face a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation, driven by escalating security risks, economic collapse, declining resources, and restrictions on aid access. In a statement published on its website, UNHCR expressed concern over the conditions under which refugees in Yemen are living, noting that the ongoing conflict and worsening living standards are driving many to be displaced once again in search of safety and basic services. The agency highlighted conditions at the Kharaz refugee camp in Lahj Governorate, home to nearly 9,500 refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia. It explained that shelling in adjacent areas has disrupted services and heightened fears among refugees, despite the continuation of food distribution and the provision of some health and water services. It added that education, legal assistance, and documentation services have ceased in the camp, coinciding with a surge in fuel and basic commodity prices, which has further complicated efforts to meet daily needs. UNHCR noted that several refugee families have departed the Kharaz camp and other areas in western Yemen, heading toward southern areas including Aden in pursuit of safety and services, despite the hazards faced during travel. Regarding voluntary repatriation, the agency reported that it has facilitated three flights from Aden to Mogadishu since last August, enabling the return of 607 Somali refugees to their homeland. Over 1,100 additional refugees have expressed a desire to return; however, continued bombardment of airports and escalating conflict threaten future repatriation operations. The agency stated that Yemen received over 134,000 migrants and asylum seekers by sea during the first nine months of 2026, most arriving from the Horn of Africa to escape persecution and hardship. It highlighted that at least 139 people died off the coast of Djibouti in October while attempting to reach Yemen, while approximately 4,200 individuals crossed the sea toward Djibouti and Somalia since September to flee the deteriorating situation in Yemen. According to UNHCR, more than a quarter of a million Yemenis have been displaced in recent months, at a time when the agency has received only 19% of its required funding for operations in Yemen for 2026—securing $36 million out of a requested $194 million. In a related context, UNHCR warned of the impact of rising fuel costs, shipping charges, and security disruptions in the Gulf region, the Red Sea, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait on the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Yemen and other countries in the region. It explained that these developments have forced changes in shipping routes and utilized ports, driving up transport costs and delaying aid arrivals, despite the agency’s success in securing the transport of 11 containers of emergency relief supplies from Dubai to Yemen. UNHCR called for urgent international action to provide the necessary funding and guarantee unhindered access for humanitarian assistance, warning that continued reductions in support could expose thousands of refugees and displaced persons to further deprivation and humanitarian risks. The post UN Reveals Extent of Humanitarian Crisis Stalking Refugees in Yemen appeared first on Yemen Monitor.