Yemen · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
UNHCR Says Nearly 3,000 Yemenis Reach Djibouti After Perilous Sea Journeys
Nearly 3,000 Yemenis arrived in Djibouti after perilous sea crossings. UNHCR urgently appeals for aid and funding to assist arrivals.
Djibouti arrival numbers and implied urgency.
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Both cite UNHCR, but the headline figure differs, affecting perceived scale.
Thousands flee to Djibouti
Escalating violence in Yemen has driven nearly 3,000 people to flee by sea to Djibouti in less than a week, according to UNHCR as cited by Anadolu Ajansı and SANA.
“In less than a week, about 3,000 people from Yemen arrived in Djibouti after being forced to undertake perilous sea journeys.”
Anadolu Ajansı reported that UNHCR said, "In less than a week, about 3,000 people from Yemen arrived in Djibouti after being forced to undertake perilous sea journeys."
SANA similarly said, "Nearly 3,000 people have arrived in Djibouti in less than a week, making the dangerous sea crossing across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait" as escalating violence forces more families to flee Yemen.
Both accounts tied the arrivals to the worsening situation inside Yemen, with SANA adding that refugees continue to arrive by boat through Obock, Khor Angar, Moulhoule and Godoria after difficult journeys in small vessels.
Pressure on services grows
UNHCR warned that the growing arrivals are putting pressure on shelter, water, sanitation, health care and education services in Djibouti, while authorities and aid partners prepare for a possible increase in the number of refugees.
SANA said UNHCR warned that "the growing arrivals are putting pressure on shelter, water, sanitation, health care and education services in Djibouti" as the situation develops.
In parallel, Reuters reported that the government of Djibouti is preparing for the arrival of up to 10,000 refugees, which "will add acute pressure on the country’s health care and education services," according to Sandrine Desamours.R
Reuters also described the arrivals as coming on overcrowded boats with very limited food and water, while the UN migration agency said people were fleeing as violence forced more families to flee.R
Humanitarian stakes and funding
Beyond the immediate surge of refugees, UN agencies described displacement inside Yemen and stressed that humanitarian needs are expanding as fighting continues along the west coast.
“At least 112,000 people have been displaced inside Yemen within the last two weeks”
Reuters said at least 112,000 people have been displaced inside Yemen within the last two weeks as fighting continues along the country's west coast, while nearly 3,000 fled by sea to Djibouti, the UN migration agency said on Friday.R
The scale of the broader crisis was also reflected in the UNHCR appeal described by Demócrata, which said UNHCR requested "urgent assistance" to help nearly 3,000 people who reached the shores of Djibouti fleeing fighting in Yemen after the offensive started on September 3 by the Houthis in the country’s west.
Demócrata further warned that "the response capacity is quickly being overwhelmed," especially since some settlements are already saturated, and it said hostilities in Yemen are forcing more and more families to leave the Asian country.