Yemen: Needs grow for millions displaced amid catastrophic flooding and prolonged humanitarian emergency

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning that millions of displaced Yemenis face worsening conditions as Yemen’s prolonged crisis deepens. This is according to the findings of a latest UNHCR assessment.

UNHCR’s Internally Displaced Persons Protection Monitoring Update, issued this week, reveals a grim picture of the conditions affecting Yemen’s displaced and host communities. The data, collected from over 47,000 households in the first half of 2024, offers insights into the struggles of internally displaced people (IDPs), returnees and host community members. Among these households, a significant number reside in formal and informal IDP sites, reflecting the ongoing displacement crisis.

Away from the world’s headlines, we fear the situation is deteriorating. The report shows that 85 per cent of these families are unable to meet their daily food needs. Many have resorted to extreme coping mechanisms, like reducing meal sizes or skipping meals altogether. These statistics represent the harsh reality where entire families are facing hunger every day.

Another critical but overlooked issue is the widespread lack of civil documentation among displaced families. Over 51 per cent of families surveyed have at least one child without a birth certificate, and 70 per cent have family members without national identity cards. Without these crucial documents, families are cut off from accessing essential services, education, and their fundamental rights, exacerbating their vulnerability and hindering their ability to rebuild their lives.

Despite efforts to improve living conditions, the majority of displaced families do not feel safe returning home due to persistent instability, a lack of livelihood opportunities and dangers like landmines, trapping them in a cycle of protracted displacement.

Yemen – which remains one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises – faces extreme challenges even as attention has shifted to other global emergencies. Currently, 18.2 million people in the country, including 4.5 million displaced, are in urgent need of humanitarian aid. This includes more than 60,000 refugees and asylum seekers, mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia.

More systematic and sustained global support is needed for countries like Yemen – one of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries. It is also among the least prepared to mitigate or adapt to the impacts of extreme weather conditions and disasters fueled by climate change, as these become more frequent.

The recent catastrophic flooding in the Malhan district of Al Mahweet governorate, triggered by heavy rains and the bursting of three dams, has devastated entire communities. Over the past month, floods have claimed 97 lives and injured many more, affected over 56,000 family homes across 20 governorates and displaced over 1,000 families. The hardest-hit areas include Al Hudaydah, Hajjah, Al-Taweela and Marib. Impassable roads are isolating affected areas and hampering rescue efforts.

This disaster, layered on top of Yemen's ongoing crisis, has compounded the suffering of millions. Vital infrastructure has been obliterated, shelters washed away, and farmlands submerged. Unexploded ordnance unearthed by the floods poses additional threats to civilians and humanitarian workers.

As the lead agency for protection, shelter, non-food items and camp coordination, UNHCR is working with local partners to provide urgent assistance. We are ramping up cash assistance – a critical lifeline for the most vulnerable. This includes multipurpose cash to cover essential needs, respond to immediate crises, obtain documentation and repair damaged shelters. UNHCR is also advancing longer-term solutions, including home rehabilitation for IDP returnees, upgrading host community facilities, and initiatives to foster social cohesion.

However, available resources are insufficient to meet critical humanitarian needs. As of 31 July, UNHCR’s country appeal for $354 million was just 21 per cent funded, leaving critical areas like protection and shelter severely underfunded.

UNHCR appeals to the international community to strengthen its support and solidarity with the people of Yemen. The world cannot afford to overlook Yemen’s crisis any longer. Sustained and coordinated support is crucial at this moment, as millions of lives are at stake.

For more information on this topic, please contact:

• In Jordan (regional) Rula Amin, [email protected], +962 (0)790 04 58 49
• In Sana'a: Mysa Khalaf, [email protected], +967 71 222 51 58
• In Geneva (global): Shabia Mantoo, [email protected] +41 79 337 76 50