Over 1,400 Yemenis Flee to Djibouti in 24 Hours Amid Escalating Houthi Offensive

A man walks through a male dormitory at an International Organization for Migration transit centre for migrants in Obock, Djibouti.

About 1,400 people have fled Yemen for Djibouti in a 24-hour period, according to Djibouti’s economy and finance minister, as Houthi fighters tighten their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh wrote on X on Saturday: “1,400 refugees arrived in Djibouti from Yemen in just 24 hours.”

In a separate post on Friday, the minister stated that 500 refugees had arrived in the coastal city of Obock, including women and children, following their rescue at sea after their boats ran out of fuel while crossing the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.

Obock, located approximately 20 kilometres (12 miles) across the water from the Yemeni coast, has served for several years as a primary arrival destination for individuals seeking safety from war-torn Yemen.

The Bab-el-Mandeb strait is also utilized in the opposite direction by migrants originating from the Horn of Africa, who travel through Yemen en route to Gulf countries.

Safiya Ibrahim, humanitarian response coordinator for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), informed AFP that “vulnerable groups such as women and children have reached the shores of Obock, with more expected in the coming days”.

The IOM warned on Friday that a minimum of 46,000 people have been displaced within Yemen since fighting intensified last week.

“Families are being forced to flee for the second or third time in this conflict, with almost nothing left,” Amy Pope, the IOM director general, stated in an official release. “As fighting spreads, reaching people with lifesaving assistance is becoming harder. We urgently need safe, unimpeded access.”

Djibouti currently accommodates tens of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers. United Nations Refugee Agency data from March 2026 indicates a registered population exceeding 36,000, with the vast majority originating from Somalia, Ethiopia, and Yemen.

The Houthis captured the Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday and have since taken control of the coastline and islands surrounding the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

This rapid offensive has compelled thousands of families to abandon their homes, with entire villages reportedly left empty in districts such as Maqbanah, Jabal Habashi, and al-Maafer.