After over 139 people, including children, tragically died at sea off Djibouti on their way to Yemen, new data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) shows a country caught in two crises. As of today, more than 217,000 people have fled their homes since fighting escalated on the West Coast. Yet migrants continue to arrive in dangerous journeys, in greater numbers than in recent years, crossing through Yemen looking for jobs and a better future.
While many are being displaced due to conflict, migrant arrivals to Yemen are rising sharply. By the end of September, IOM recorded 134,100 migrants entering Yemen in 2026. That is already 22 per cent more than in all of 2025, when 110,144 arrived. It is more than double the 60,897 recorded in 2024.
"In Yemen, families are desperate to escape their homes due to the conflict, while migrants continue to pass through the country seeking better future. Both are making dangerous journeys," said IOM Director General Amy Pope. "Those who died off Djibouti knew the risks. They went anyway because they had no safe options. We need safer options, and we need them now."
As of 12 October, IOM's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) has recorded 217,303 displaced people, or 36,216 households. More than half of them, 55 per cent, are in Taiz Governorate. Most displacement sites there cannot be reached because of the ongoing conflict.
The displacement is spreading. Lahj hosts the second-largest number, with 45,390 people, followed by Aden with 26,112. In Taiz, the hardest-hit districts are Jabal Habashi, with 32,346 people, Al Ma'afer, with 31,230, and Ash Shamayatayn, with 24,942. These districts have also seen some of the most intense hostilities in recent days.
Migrants continue to arrive despite the ongoing conflict. In September alone, 11,841 migrants entered Yemen. More than 2,500 of them arrived through Taiz, even as hostilities intensified. Arrivals also rose in Abyan and Shabwah.
"Two groups are on the move, in opposite directions. Yemeni families are fleeing to stay alive. Migrants are coming in search of a better future to cross through Yemen elsewhere. Both are risking their lives on dangerous routes," said Ms. Pope.
Most migrants arriving in Yemen on this route come from the Horn of Africa. Many hope to travel through Yemen to the Gulf countries in search of work. Instead, they face conflict, exploitation and abuse along the way. Many become stranded, with no money to go on and no safe way home.
IOM calls on countries along this route to urgently work together to stop smugglers who profit from desperation, and to open safe, regular pathways so people do not have to gamble with their lives. Donors need to scale up their funding, because every day without support costs lives.
