Update: Agencies' counts of Yemenis displaced by fighting near 150,000
Oct. 2, 2026 — This updates our Oct. 2 report on hunger in Yemen. Agencies' counts of people displaced by renewed fighting between government forces and Houthi rebels rose through September: about 125,000 "in a matter of days," the World Food Programme said in a release; 129,438 across seven provinces, the International Organization for Migration said, as Reuters reported Sept. 21; more than 130,000 since the start of September, the UN refugee agency said; and nearly 150,000 in the WFP briefing UN News reported Oct. 2. More than 3,000 refugees have reached Djibouti, UNHCR said.
More than 18 million Yemenis, roughly half the population, face acute food insecurity, and 2.2 million children under 5 are acutely malnourished, WFP says. WFP's acting executive director, Carl Skau, told Reuters that 90% of Yemen's food is imported, so port and airport disruptions cut supply. WFP says it needs $274 million to sustain its work through 2027; UNHCR's Yemen operation was 18% funded this year.
The wall: How many of the newly displaced have received aid since the Oct. 2 briefing is not known.
Tier: Reported (based on WFP's release, Reuters (WFP and IOM), JURIST's account of UNHCR, and UN News)
Sources
- World Food Programme, World Food Programme scales up response in Yemen as fighting displaces thousands
- Reuters via Asharq Al-Awsat, WFP ramps up response in Yemen as hunger fears escalate, official says (Sept. 21, 2026)
- JURIST, Worsening conflict in Yemen fuels mass displacement, UNHCR says (Sept. 2026)
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