Djibouti Appeals for Urgent Aid as Thousands of Yemeni Refugees Flee Conflict

Djibouti is urging the international community to provide immediate assistance to cope with a surging wave of Yemenis fleeing their homeland, cautioning that the current numbers have already surpassed national capacity.

According to Interior Minister Omar Abdi Said, more than 2,500 Yemenis have arrived in Djibouti since Thursday last week. On Wednesday, Said stated, "We expect the number of displaced people to rise to about 10,000 in the coming weeks." He added, "The influx of migrants has already exceeded our national capacity, and we are facing increasing pressure as international funding declines. We call on the United Nations and international partners to mobilise urgent financial resources commensurate with the scale of the crisis."

This displacement is driven by heavy fighting in western Yemen involving the Iran-backed Houthis and the internationally recognised government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia. Thousands are seeking refuge across the Red Sea in Djibouti, located directly opposite Yemen.

The ongoing conflict continues to worsen the severe humanitarian situation in Yemen, recognized as the poorest country in the Middle East. Data shows that more than 4.5 million people have been displaced since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in the civil war in 2015, with the latest escalation stoking fears of even greater displacement both internally and across borders.

The International Organization for Migration’s Djibouti Office (IOM) shared a video on X on Wednesday confirming that local authorities and staff are actively assisting arriving Yemenis with food and water.

Safiya Ibrahim, the agency’s response coordinator for Djibouti, highlighted that daily arrivals include vulnerable individuals such as women, children, babies, and the sick. She emphasized that the IOM relies on additional financial support to sustain its operations.

As the third-smallest nation on the African continent, Djibouti maintains a population of fewer than 1.2 million people.