UN: More Than 28,000 Yemenis Displaced in Eight Days Amid Military Escalation

UN: More Than 28,000 Yemenis Displaced in Eight Days Amid Military Escalation
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More than 28,000 people have been displaced in Yemen within eight days as a result of renewed military escalation and expanding fighting, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration (IOM), which warned that humanitarian needs among displaced communities are rapidly increasing.

The IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix recorded the displacement of 21,798 people, or 3,633 families, between September 27 and October 3. The figure represents a 26% increase compared with the previous week. A further 6,474 people, representing 1,079 families, were displaced on October 4 alone, bringing the total for the eight-day period to more than 28,000.

The UN agency said fighting had displaced more than 184,000 people between August 1 and October 4, with most displacement occurring since the beginning of September. Those forced from their homes are in need of food, shelter and other essential humanitarian assistance.

IOM Director General Amy Pope said the escalation was pushing increasing numbers of Yemenis into a “terrible cycle of displacement,” amid growing concerns over their safety and future. She called for humanitarian access to all affected communities and urged the international community to urgently increase its support to enable aid organizations to respond to rising needs.