IOM warns Yemen displacement surpasses 76,000 amid intensifying fighting

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is warning of a rapidly worsening displacement crisis in Yemen, with at least 76,000 people forced from their homes since July as fighting intensifies along key frontlines. The figure has risen sharply from 46,000 recorded just days earlier, according to a press release issued by IOM on 12 September 2026. Data was compiled by IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) team and partners. Numbers have nearly doubled overnight, reaching four times last week’s total. Entire families are on the move, often at night, with nowhere safe to go.

Yemen has endured over 12 years of conflict, leaving communities repeatedly uprooted and exhausted. Many of the newly displaced families have fled multiple times before. Most left with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They have abandoned homes, livelihoods, and any remaining sense of stability. Their resources are gone.

Fighting is escalating rapidly along the West Coast and South Taiz frontlines. Taiz is the hardest hit, with 8,300 households, or nearly 50,000 people, displaced from districts including Jabal Habashy, Al Ma’afer, Maqbanah, Mawza and Al Wazi’iyah. Lahj follows with 2,819 households, or almost 17,000 people, most from Al-Mudharibah district. In Al Hodeidah, 1,374 households, or over 8,100 people, have been displaced from coastal districts including Hays and Al Khawkha. In Aden, 191 households, or over 1,100 people, have fled.

IOM Director General Amy Pope said families are being displaced for the second or third time in this conflict, with almost nothing left, and that spreading fighting is making it harder to reach people with lifesaving aid. She called for safe, unimpeded access, and urged all parties to protect civilians and humanitarian workers. She also stressed the need to safeguard the supplies, vehicles and facilities IOM relies on to deliver help. Communications in affected areas remain disrupted, making it harder to reach people and assess needs. Roads are increasingly inaccessible due to ongoing fighting, further complicating an already dire situation.

IOM teams on the ground are distributing emergency supplies, including shelter materials, hygiene kits, and other essential items. However, needs are far outpacing what can be delivered. Displacement figures are expected to rise further in the coming days. IOM has called on the international community to urgently scale up support for Yemen before the crisis deepens. The organization said it will continue to monitor developments closely and report further updates as they become available.