More than 174,000 people have been newly displaced inside Yemen since 1 August, as renewed fighting continues to drive families from their homes. A situation update dated 5 October also records 3,799 Yemeni refugees in Obock, Djibouti, and outlines additional relief measures for people affected by the escalation.
The figures describe a fast-changing crisis rather than a final count. The update reports that a further 187 Somali refugees voluntarily returned from Yemen to Somalia through an assisted return programme, bringing the number of arrivals in Eastern Africa mentioned in the document to 3,986. Women and children account for three-quarters of the new arrivals. The average family size among arrivals is 3.8 people, compared with six among displaced families inside Yemen, an indication that many people have left relatives behind.
Support planned inside Yemen
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says it requires US$25 million for its response in Yemen, which is intended to support an estimated 231,000 people. Planned assistance includes protection services, legal help, support for people facing heightened risks, cash assistance, shelter, and essential household relief items.
A shipment of 115 tonnes of essential relief items is en route to Yemen and is expected to help meet immediate needs among around 30,000 people affected by the recent escalation. The shipment is planned support, not a report that the items have already arrived or been distributed. The wider response is part of the inter-agency humanitarian plan for Yemen.
The amount sought is a response requirement, not funding already secured. The 231,000 figure is an estimated population the assistance is intended to reach; it should not be read as a confirmed number of people already served. Access, delivery and needs may shift as the situation develops.
Djibouti prepares for further arrivals
A separate inter-agency plan for Djibouti, covering October 2026 to March 2027, sets out preparations for a most-likely scenario of 10,000 refugee arrivals over six months. It says the plan can be scaled up if movements are larger. The scenario is a planning assumption, not a forecast that 10,000 people will certainly arrive.
The plan records 3,793 Yemenis registered in the Obock region at the end of September, before the newer situation update reported 3,799 refugees there. It describes a population in which almost half are children, including 15 per cent under five, while women and girls make up just over half. That age and gender profile informs needs for protection and services, but registration totals and the broader arrival estimates are not interchangeable measures.
Djibouti’s response is designed to support a government-led effort and include refugees in national systems. The plan identifies the national refugee and disaster assistance office as the main government counterpart and describes coordination between authorities and humanitarian partners. The requested support is additional assistance for agencies and partners; the plan notes that it does not capture all costs of public services or wider development investment.
The new figures mark a rise from earlier reports during the same escalation, which had described more than 142,000 people displaced inside Yemen and 3,793 registered in Obock by the end of September. The updated count of over 174,000 and the report of 3,799 in Obock are a material update to the scale of the emergency, while remaining snapshots subject to change. The displacement counts do not by themselves establish individual causes or predict how many people will move next.
For people arriving in Djibouti, the reported family-size difference points to the strain of separation as well as the need for reception support. Inside Yemen, the stated priorities span basic relief and protection. Both response plans depend on assistance being delivered as intended, while the six-month arrival scenario leaves room for circumstances to change.
