Renewed Fighting in Yemen Triggers Mass Displacement as Civilians Bear the Brunt

Taiz, Yemen – Aman Murshed, a mother of five in her 50s, has spent more than five years displaced in a camp in Taiz’s al-Kadaha area, hoping to return to her home where her family farmed and raised livestock. Those dreams were vanquished when battles between the Houthis and the internationally recognised government re-erupted this month with the fiercest fighting in years. The Houthis’ capture of the entire Red Sea coast on Friday meant that displacement “is alarmingly rising by the hour”, according to the United Nations.

“We used to hope to return home, but today we just hope to retrieve the basic belongings we left behind in the previous camp. Here we have no food and rely on neighbours to share a meal or two with us each day. I had to leave all our food behind,” Murshed told Al Jazeera English. “The last four years were calm, and our hopes of returning home grew stronger. But suddenly, fighting erupted near our camp three days ago, and we found ourselves fleeing again toward an unknown destination.”

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that at least 46,000 people in Yemen have fled their homes since new clashes erupted last week. On Friday, the Houthis captured Mocha and the last remaining parts of the Red Sea coast not under their control, sending panic through government-controlled areas and causing mass displacement.

Murshed ended up at the al-Malika camp in al-Maafer district, Taiz, where she knew relatives, but her family lacks proper shelter. She only had time to grab a few blankets and mattresses before she fled her tent, leaving most of her belongings behind. She is most distressed about abandoning her livestock, her primary source of income and security.

Ahmed Abduljaleel, a displaced man in his 40s living in al-Ghazaliya camp in al-Maafer district, fled his previous home in a camp in Jabal Habashi district early on Friday morning. His story closely mirrors that of Murshed and the thousands of other families displaced by the latest fighting who had been living for years off aid.

“Our suffering is clear, but humanitarian organisations have not reached us yet to see that only women and children are sleeping under plastic sheets and using bathrooms, while men sleep outdoors. We all share the pain of a severe food shortage,” he told Al Jazeera.

Ahmed Abdulnasser al-Sourouri, the branch manager in al-Maafer for the Peace and Social Security Organisation – a local nongovernmental group providing displaced people with food and essential supplies – said the ongoing fighting is piling immense pressure on aid workers who were already struggling with severe budget shortfalls before the new wave of displacements began.

Some of the fiercest fighting in previous days has been in al-Jawf, Marib and al-Bayda governorates, triggering further displacement in all three regions. Ali Qaid, director-general of the Executive Unit for IDP Camp Management in Taiz, said that most of the displaced people had fled to al-Maafer district amid the critical security situation.

Muneer, a man in his 40s who preferred to use only his first name, fled Jabal Habashi district on Friday night, leaving behind everything he owns. He was also hit by a bullet in the latest clashes. Muneer has since been discharged from hospital but now relies on a cane to walk.

The UN-brokered truce agreement in April 2022 had brought a temporary halt to major fighting between government-aligned forces and the Houthis, who captured the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014. However, Mohammed Ali, a journalist in Taiz, said Yemenis hoping for better conditions during the quieter years have been left bitterly disappointed by the reigniting of the war.