Refugees in Yemen trapped between conflict, displacement and dangerous journeys

GENEVA – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is alarmed at the rapidly worsening humanitarian crisis facing more than 65,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in Yemen, as escalating insecurity, economic collapse, depleting resources and severe humanitarian access constraints leave tens of thousands with nowhere safe to turn.

Even as the conflict intensifies, thousands continue to risk dangerous sea crossings from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, arriving in a country where insecurity and humanitarian conditions are rapidly deteriorating.

The situation is particularly alarming in Kharaz refugee camp in the southwestern governorate of Lahj, home to around 9,500 refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia and located in a government-controlled area tens of kilometres from the fighting. While no refugee casualties have been verified, nearby shelling has disrupted services and led to movement restrictions, heightening fear and desperation among families who have already fled conflict.

UNHCR partners have managed to distribute food inside the camp in coordination with local authorities, and health assistance and water provision continue, albeit with significant difficulty. However, most other services are on hold: schools have been suspended, legal and documentation services interrupted, and rising prices of fuel and staples are making it difficult for refugees to cover their basic needs.

Many refugee families are leaving Kharaz and other areas in the west where humanitarian access is constrained, seeking safety and services elsewhere in southern Yemen, including Aden, taking roads used by fighting parties, thus putting their lives at further risk.

Amid this backdrop, the number of refugees seeking UNHCR support to return to their countries of origin has surged. Since the escalation of conflict in August, UNHCR has facilitated three flights from Aden to Mogadishu, enabling the voluntary return home of 607 Somali refugees. Over 1,100 others have expressed interest in returning, but continuous shelling of airports and intensifying fighting have dramatically increased the risks to refugees and humanitarians, jeopardizing further returns.

While Yemen has witnessed years of conflict and one of the world's longest-running humanitarian emergencies, sea arrivals to the country never stopped. During the first nine months of 2026, more than 134,000 asylum-seekers and migrants were recorded arriving by sea in Yemen. They fled conflict, persecution, instability and precarity across the Horn of Africa, to transit through Yemen to other countries, only to arrive in a country where insecurity and uncertainty are defining daily life.

The human cost remains devastating, and shifting smuggling routes are forcing people into longer and more dangerous journeys to evade maritime security operations. In October, at least 139 people reportedly lost their lives at sea off Djibouti attempting to reach Yemen.

At the same time, some 4,200 people have crossed the sea to Djibouti and Somalia fleeing Yemen since September, and humanitarian organizations expect that number to rise as sea conditions improve.

With over a quarter million Yemenis displaced in the past months and tens of thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers struggling to survive, the resources available are falling short. UNHCR Yemen is only 19 per cent funded in 2026, with $36 million of the $194 million required.

Without urgent international attention, unhindered access to affected populations and increased support, thousands risk further displacement, deprivation and harm in the days ahead.

Rising fuel, freight rates and attacks in Gulf hamper humanitarian supplies

At the same time, the conflict in Yemen, attacks across the Gulf region and disruptions affecting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait – alongside continued volatility around the Strait of Hormuz – are increasing pressure on global humanitarian supply chains that millions of displaced people depend on. 

While UNHCR has secured pro-bono transport support for 11 containers of emergency relief items from Dubai for Yemen, shifting security conditions and logistical constraints are challenging delivery efforts.

Across the region, aid agencies are having to alternate ports and transport corridors, including using Khor Fakkan, Fujairah, Sohar, Salalah and Jeddah, adding delays, uncertainty and costs to the delivery of life-saving assistance. 

The impact extends beyond Yemen. Although humanitarian shipments continue to transit the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, congestion at major regional transshipment hubs is causing delays.

The Bab el-Mandeb corridor is a critical maritime route linking Asia, the Middle East and Africa. UNHCR’s operations in Sudan, Djibouti and Ethiopia are among those most exposed to disruptions affecting trade and shipping through the Red Sea. 

Freight rates spiked between the third and fourth quarters of 2026. Average sea freight rates for key routes into Port Sudan increased by approximately 32 per cent for 20-foot containers and 25 per cent for 40-foot containers, with some routes experiencing rises of up to 48 per cent and 45 per cent respectively.  

Beyond higher transportation costs, extremely volatile security conditions, carrier capacity and route adjustments are making delivery schedules less predictable, with potential knock-on effects, particularly where relief efforts rely heavily on maritime access. 

Where possible, UNHCR continues to mitigate risks through prepositioning and preparedness, by maintaining emergency stocks in all strategically located regional and global hubs, exploring alternative transport routes and modes and working with logistics partners and donors to preserve operational flexibility.  

UNHCR calls for urgent de-escalation, humanitarian access, protection of civilians and steady support for preparedness and supply-chain resilience, which is a critical lifeline to ensure aid keeps reaching people forced to flee when they need it most. 

For more information, please contact:

• In Amman: Rula Amin, [email protected], +962 (0) 790 045 849
• In Amman: Tarik Argaz, [email protected], +962 (0) 791 223 095
• In Geneva, Matthew Saltmarsh: [email protected], +41 79 967 99 36