Thousands of families flee fighting in Yemen again — The Japan Times
In Yemen, thousands of families are leaving their homes because of a new escalation in the long-running war; for many, this is already their second or third forced displacement. The Japan Times reports on the situation in camps for internally displaced people near Aden.
Life in camps near Aden
Arwa left the city of Mocha on the country’s western coast with her husband and four children after it was captured by Iran-backed Houthis. The family traveled about 200 kilometers on a single motorcycle, heading through Al-Arah in Lahj governorate to Aden, the temporary seat of the Saudi Arabia-backed government.
Arwa said the family could not find transport, spent nights in the cold and had no warm clothing. The Al-Farsi camp in Aden is now home to 128 families. Their tents contain only bedding, cooking utensils and the few belongings people managed to take with them.
This is not Arwa’s first displacement: nine years ago, she left Maqbanah in Taiz governorate for Mocha, also because of the war. Armin Edgaryan, a representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, said the camp needs additional support. According to him, the 8,800 residents include many elderly people and women with children. International organizations, including the World Food Programme, are distributing food to displaced people.
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Children’s education interrupted
About 110 families have been accommodated at the Al-Firdaus camp in Aden over the past two weeks. Obia Achieng, acting UNICEF representative in Yemen, noted that people’s needs are not limited to food and basic items: the organization’s team assessed the possibility of providing educational services for children.
Last week, UNICEF reported that 57,000 children had been displaced within Yemen in just two weeks. Another 243 schools were closed or suspended operations, affecting more than 137,000 students. Before the latest escalation, 3.2 million school-age children in the country were not enrolled in school.
Resumption of fighting
After several years of relative calm, fighting in Yemen intensified again in July amid the broader conflict in the Middle East. Over the past 10 days, a surprise Houthi offensive has enabled them to expand control toward the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea.
Yemen’s civil war began in 2014, when the Houthis launched an offensive against government forces and seized significant territory, including the capital, Sanaa. In 2015, Saudi Arabia led a military coalition in support of the government. A truce was reached in 2022 and was largely observed until July.
