At least 112,000 people have been displaced inside Yemen over the past two weeks as renewed fighting along the country's western coast forces families to flee their homes, according to United Nations agencies.

The latest escalation has sharply worsened Yemen's already severe humanitarian crisis, with fighting reported across parts of Taiz, Al Hudaydah and other areas along the Red Sea coast.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the number of displaced people had risen rapidly as hostilities intensified, with thousands of families leaving their homes at short notice and arriving in areas already struggling to provide shelter, food, water and healthcare.

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said more than 100,000 people had already been displaced inside Yemen by September 15, with the violence affecting several governorates, including Al Hudaydah, Taiz, Lahj, Aden, Abyan, Marib, Al Dhale and Shabwah. It warned that damaged roads, telecommunications disruptions and insecurity were severely restricting humanitarian access.

Thousands flee across the Gulf of Aden

The escalation has also prompted a growing number of Yemenis to leave the country altogether.

UNHCR reported that more than 2,400 people crossed from Yemen to Djibouti in just four days as of September 15. More than 60 percent of the arrivals were women, children and older people.

UNFPA said Djibouti had registered 2,776 new arrivals by September 16, most of them arriving along the northern coast in the Obock region. The sudden influx has raised concerns that local services could quickly become overstretched.

Djibouti is preparing for a potentially larger influx. UNHCR said the Markazi refugee site has capacity for roughly 5,000 additional people, while authorities and aid agencies are preparing for more than 10,000 possible arrivals.

Many of those arriving are exhausted after dangerous sea journeys and have brought few belongings with them. UN agencies say urgent needs include shelter, clean water, food, healthcare, sanitation and protection services.

Children face growing risks

The renewed fighting is also having a severe impact on children.

UNICEF said more than 104,000 people, including over 57,000 children, had been displaced in the two weeks leading up to September 16. Since September 3, at least nine children had reportedly been killed and 12 injured, while three others were reported missing.

The agency said 26 UNICEF-supported health facilities had experienced disruptions, while 243 schools had closed or suspended classes, affecting more than 137,000 students.

The developments have added another layer to a humanitarian emergency that has persisted for years, leaving millions of Yemenis dependent on humanitarian assistance.

Humanitarian response under pressure

Aid agencies say access to displaced communities is becoming increasingly difficult because of insecurity, damaged infrastructure and movement restrictions.

UNHCR said it had begun providing emergency protection, shelter assistance, relief items and financial support to displaced families. The agency estimated that it needs about $14 million to address immediate needs among newly displaced people inside Yemen.

The situation is also placing pressure on Djibouti, a small country across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Yemen. UN agencies warned that schools, health services, water supplies and accommodation facilities could come under severe strain if the number of arrivals continues to rise.

The latest escalation follows renewed fighting between Yemen's Houthi movement and forces aligned with the internationally recognized government. The conflict had remained at a relatively lower level following a UN-brokered truce in 2022, but fighting has intensified again along the western coast.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's key maritime chokepoints linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, has also become a major concern as the fighting spreads. Continued instability in the area could further complicate humanitarian operations and disrupt commercial shipping through the region.

With displacement continuing to rise and thousands of civilians seeking refuge across the sea, UN agencies are warning that Yemen's renewed conflict could rapidly deepen an already critical humanitarian crisis. (ILKHA)