More than 250,000 displaced within Yemen since fighting flared, says UN

UN said escalating fighting in Yemen’s Taiz between government forces and Houthi fighters has increased the number of displaced people nationwide. (EPA Images pic) GENEVA: More than 250,000 people have been internally displaced in Yemen since the civil war reignited, the UN said Tuesday.

Yemen's civil war - in which a Saudi-led military coalition supports the government against the Iran-backed Houthis - reignited in July, months into the US-Iran conflict that has plunged the Middle East into crisis.

After an uneasy, four-year truce, Yemen's conflict has surged back to life and then intensified when the Houthis seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month.

Displacement is continuing to rise sharply across Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, which was already suffering a vast humanitarian crisis.

"UNHCR is obviously deeply concerned about the escalating displacement situation," Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesman for the UN refugee agency, told a press conference in Geneva.

"The numbers displaced have now reached over 250,000.

"These are people who have been internally displaced in Yemen between Aug 1 and Oct 17," Saltmarsh said.

Around half of those newly displaced are being hosted in Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city.

Houthi fighters have encircled Taiz since early October, blocking the road that links it to Aden, interim capital of the Saudi-backed, internationally-recognised government.

"The most immediate needs that we've been able to identify are around shelter, food, and multi-purpose cash assistance, said Saltmarsh.

The spokesman noted that as of Saturday, some 3,836 new arrivals had been recorded in Djibouti, and a further 242 in Somalia, including both refugees and returnees.

"Following the capsizing of a boat travelling from Djibouti to Yemen on the night of Oct 8-9, 139 bodies have been recovered, including 109 who have been identified," he said.

Meanwhile, 82 survivors have been identified and are receiving support.