Yemen: UNHCR warns 65,000 refugees face rapidly worsening crisis
UNHCR says more than 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen face a fast-deteriorating crisis as fighting, economic collapse and aid restrictions mount.
Photo: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
More than 65,000 refugees and asylum seekers in Yemen are caught in a humanitarian crisis that is worsening by the day, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday. The agency pointed to mounting insecurity, economic collapse, dwindling resources and tight restrictions on aid access that leave tens of thousands with nowhere safe to go.
At a press briefing in Geneva, UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said thousands were still making dangerous sea crossings from the Horn of Africa even as the conflict intensified, only to land “in a country where security and humanitarian conditions are deteriorating rapidly.”
He singled out the Kharaz refugee camp in Lahj governorate, in the country’s southwest, as a particular concern. The camp shelters around 9,500 refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia and lies in a government-controlled area a few dozen kilometres from the front lines. No refugee casualties have been recorded, he said, but shelling in nearby areas has disrupted services and limited movement, deepening fear among families who had already fled war.
UNHCR partners, working with local authorities, have kept food distribution running inside the camp, and health care and water supplies continue despite severe difficulty. Most other services have halted: schooling is suspended, legal and documentation work has stopped, and rising prices for fuel and basic goods are making daily needs harder to meet.
Many families are leaving Kharaz and other western areas for southern Yemen, including Aden, along routes used by the warring parties.
UNHCR figures show more than 134,000 asylum seekers and migrants reached Yemen by sea in the first nine months of 2026, while about 4,200 people have crossed in the opposite direction toward Djibouti and Somalia since September.
Saltmarsh also warned that the Yemen conflict, attacks in the Gulf region, disruption around the Bab al-Mandab strait and continued instability near the Strait of Hormuz are straining global humanitarian supply chains. The agency secured free transport for 11 containers of emergency relief items from Dubai to Yemen, but shifting security conditions are complicating delivery, forcing aid groups to reroute through Khor Fakkan, Fujairah, Sohar, Salalah and Jeddah, with delays and higher costs as a result. Saltmarsh called for urgent de-escalation, humanitarian access, protection of civilians and sustained support for preparedness and supply chain resilience.
