More than 145,000 people have been displaced across eight governorates in Yemen since conflict escalated on the West Coast in June, according to new figures released today by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). As of today, the total stands at 145,308 people, or 24,218 households, a rise of 15,870 compared with 21 September and an increase of more than 12 per cent in one week. Insecurity continues to uproot families along the West Coast and across the south.
"Every week we count thousands more people who have left everything behind," said Abdusattor Esoev, IOM Yemen Chief of Mission. "Behind these figures are parents trying to keep their children safe, older people who cannot travel far, and families who had very little to begin with. They need help now, and our response has to move as fast as they are."
Ta'iz Governorate remains at the centre of the crisis, hosting the largest number of displaced people with 81,444, more than half of the national total. That is nearly 8,000 above the figure recorded a week ago. Lahj now hosts 34,860 people, followed by Aden with 12,456, Al Hodeidah with 8,244, Abyan with 5,568, Hadramawt with 1,974, Ma'rib with 750 and Al Maharah with 12, who were displaced earlier this month.
Outside Ta'iz, Aden recorded the largest increase. The number of displaced people there rose by nearly 40 per cent in a single week, an increase of 3,510. Al Burayqah district alone now hosts close to 6,500 people. More families are heading to urban areas, placing further strain on housing, services and livelihoods that were already stretched. Numbers are also climbing quickly further east: displacement nearly doubled in Hadramawt and rose by two-thirds in Abyan over the same period.
IOM teams are working with local authorities and humanitarian partners to reach newly displaced families with emergency shelter, essential household items, cash assistance, clean water and sanitation, and protection services. IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix monitors population movements every day, and its data help partners send aid where it is needed most.
IOM calls for the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, and for safe, unimpeded access so that aid can reach displaced families and the communities hosting them.
"Communities in Ta'iz, Lahj and Aden have opened their doors to people fleeing the fighting, but goodwill alone cannot cover what is needed," said Esoev. "Families urgently need shelter, food and protection, and the towns receiving them need help to cope. Needs are growing faster than our resources, and more support is needed now to keep pace."
With the situation remaining volatile, further displacement is possible in the coming days. IOM will continue tracking population movements and sharing verified data as events unfold.
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