Renewed fighting in Yemen has forced tens of thousands of families from their homes, leaving many displaced people in overcrowded camps struggling to secure food, shelter, water and other basic necessities.
“We lack many things. We need everything. We are all crammed inside the tent, with our clothes piled on one side and the children squeezed in on the other,” displaced Yemeni woman Arwa told reporters from inside her tent at Al-Farsi camp in Aden’s Al-Buraika district.
Arwa is among thousands of Yemenis who have fled renewed fighting in search of safer areas, arriving at makeshift camps with few belongings and limited access to essential services. The latest escalation has created a new wave of displacement in a country already devastated by more than a decade of conflict.
The United Nations says at least 125,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of September, as fighting along Yemen’s western coast has intensified. The World Food Programme said many of those fleeing are struggling to access food and other basic services, with families moving towards Aden and other areas in search of safety.
Children are bearing a significant share of the crisis. UNICEF said on September 16 that more than 104,000 people, including over 57,000 children, had been displaced in just two weeks. The agency also reported that at least nine children had been killed and 12 injured since September 3, while three others were missing.
The renewed displacement is also putting additional pressure on Yemen’s already fragile humanitarian system. UNICEF said 26 of its supported health facilities have had services disrupted, while 243 schools have closed or suspended learning, affecting more than 137,000 students. Even before the latest escalation, an estimated 12.2 million children in Yemen needed humanitarian assistance.
At camps around Aden, families are now attempting to rebuild their lives under difficult conditions. Tents provide limited protection from the elements, while overcrowding and shortages of food, water and hygiene supplies increase the pressure on displaced communities. For families arriving after fleeing fighting, returning home is often impossible while violence continues.
The crisis comes after years of relative calm following a UN-backed truce in 2022, which reduced the intensity of Yemen’s long-running conflict. The latest fighting has shattered that period of relative stability, forcing families who had hoped to return home to flee once again.
For people like Arwa, the immediate priority is far removed from the wider political and military struggle. It is finding enough space for a family inside a tent, securing food and water, and keeping children safe. As more displaced families arrive in southern Yemen, humanitarian agencies face the growing challenge of meeting basic needs while the renewed conflict continues to drive people from their homes.
