UNHCR warns 65,000 refugees in Yemen trapped as conflict, sea crossings and camp conditions worsen

UNHCR said it is alarmed at the rapidly worsening situation facing more than 65,000 refugees and asylum-seekers in Yemen, with escalating insecurity and depleting resources leaving tens of thousands without safe options.

The situation is especially acute at Kharaz refugee camp in the southwestern governorate of Lahj, home to around 9,500 refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia. The camp lies in a government-controlled area, but nearby shelling has disrupted services and imposed movement restrictions. Schools have been suspended, legal and documentation services interrupted, and fuel and food prices have risen sharply. Food distribution and water provision continue, though with significant difficulty.

Desperate families are leaving Kharaz for other parts of southern Yemen, including Aden, travelling roads used by fighting parties.

Requests for voluntary repatriation have surged since fighting escalated in August. UNHCR has facilitated three flights from Aden to Mogadishu, enabling 607 Somali refugees to return home. More than 1,100 others have registered interest in returning, but continuous shelling of airports is blocking further departures.

Arrival pressure has not eased. More than 134,000 asylum-seekers and migrants were recorded arriving by sea in Yemen in the first nine months of 2026. In October alone, at least 139 people reportedly lost their lives at sea off Djibouti attempting the crossing.

Some 4,200 people have since crossed in the opposite direction, fleeing by sea toward Djibouti and Somalia.