The Guardian ·
Politics
‘We left everything behind’: 125,000 people displaced as war reignites in Yemen
Fierce fighting has forced people to abandon their homes, leaving everything behind to seek shelter in refugee camps
Abandoning their homes and cramming into cars, Yemeni families have fled in their thousands from a lightning advance along the Red Sea coastal plains and up the rugged hills towards the mountaintop city of Taiz as the war returned in dramatic form this month.
“We fled a large, comfortable home, and here we are struggling to find a plastic sheet and wooden poles,” said one of the displaced, Asma Taleb, a woman in her 50s who fled her home last week with her two sons and five grandchildren.
“This war doesn’t differentiate between people. Rich or poor, high class or low class, we all fled our homes on the same day and are all struggling now to find shelter.”
The family fled the Maqbanah district in the wide Taiz region and headed toward Al-Shimayateen District, arriving at a camp for displaced families where she has relatives. More than 100,000 people have fled their homes in the last month.
“The fighting was fierce in our village, and some of our civilian neighbours were killed or injured, so we fled home and left everything behind,” she told the Guardian. “Amid the fierce battles you forget everything. We left our home belongings, and one neighbour even left his livestock behind.”
As soon as Taleb arrived in the camp, she found three or four families living in every tent because newly displaced people were constantly arriving. Left with no other option, she moved in with a relative’s family and three others.
“On the first day, we were happy just to reach safety, but then we felt the suffering the next day. Displaced families kept arriving, and there was no space in the camp and not enough tents,” she added.
Some humanitarian organisations intervened, providing displaced families with canned food and hygiene kits.
Taleb said she had never left her village in her life except for brief emergencies, always returning in a day or two. This is the first time she has been forced to flee long-term, and she feels returning will be difficult.
“I dream of returning to my village today, before tomorrow, but it isn’t in my hands. The fighting is still ongoing, and more families are arriving every day.”
Renewed fighting in Yemen has displaced at least 125,000 people (about 18,000 households) since the start of September 2026, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).
The International Organization for Migration said more than 2,000 people fleeing the hostilities have reached Djibouti’s northern shores so far, landing at scattered points along the coast near Obock.
Hatem Qasem, a farmer in his 40s from Al-Wazeyah district west of Taiz city, grew up in a village where residents rely on farming and raising livestock. He stated that when battles approached their village, they thought of nothing but their safety.
“We are farmers and rarely leave our village except for emergencies, but three days ago, the shelling and clashes were all around us, and we found ourselves in a position where we had to flee,” Qasem told the Guardian.
He explained that they sold their livestock at low prices simply to cover the cost of fleeing, as they could not take the livestock with them to an unknown destination.
“We took the children and left – around five families in one car. We couldn’t believe we managed to escape the fighting, but praise be to God, we made it,” he added.
They arrived in Al-Shimayateen district in Taiz. Although they do not have shelter there, it is a safe area where many displaced families have sought refuge.
“I am happy that we are safe now and that no one in the family was killed or injured, but we have started to realise that it will be difficult to stay here for long. We have no work here and no one to help us,” Qasem said.
According to Save the Children, at least 19 children were killed and a further 49 injured between 1 August and 9 September, bringing the total number of civilians killed in the escalating violence in Yemen to 117 and of those injured to 206. At least 175 were killed or injured in a single week (3-9 September), including 43 children, the highest weekly child casualty toll in the past 12 months.
With fierce fighting ongoing in Qasem’s village, returning home is not an option. To remain displaced, however, he needs a source of income to provide for his family.
“We will wait this month out here and see. If the fighting moves away from our village, we will return; if it continues, we will look for another solution.”
Qasem’s family of eight lives with three other displaced families in the same house – each family occupying a single room to share the cost of rent.
In Al-Safia makeshift camp, displaced people have no work and depend entirely on humanitarian organisations for their basic needs.
In 2026, an estimated 22.3 million people in Yemen – more than half the population – require humanitarian assistance and protection services, including 5.2 million displaced people, according to Ocha.
Ali Qaid, manager of the executive unit for Internationally Displaced People Camps Management in Taiz governorate, confirmed that some humanitarian organisations have begun providing aid to newly displaced families arriving in areas like Al-Shimayateen. However, he noted that many civilians remain trapped in active combat zones.
“Displacement from the western districts of Taiz governorate is still ongoing, and many people are trapped in the middle of the fighting, preventing humanitarian organisations from reaching them with assistance,” he told the Guardian.
