Thousands of civilians have been displaced by escalating clashes between Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels in Taiz and Hodeidah, Yemen's Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour said on Saturday. The ministry called for urgent humanitarian support to address growing displacement.
Government forces announced a counter-offensive in western Yemen after Houthi attacks this week. Wadah Dobish, a spokesman for pro-government forces on Yemen's western coast, said the counter-attack in southern Hodeidah's Al Garrahi district was launched as ground clashes intensified.
The Houthis attacked Taiz and Hodeidah on Wednesday with 14 ballistic missiles and concurrent drone strikes targeting areas along the Red Sea coast, according to government forces. The ministry blamed the attacks for the displacement and said that targeting residential areas and displacement camps had worsened the situation for vulnerable communities.
More than 22 million people require humanitarian assistance across Yemen, according to UN figures cited by the ministry. The UN and other non-governmental organisations have scaled back operations in Houthi-controlled territories due to security concerns including raids and kidnappings.
Before the recent escalation, Yemen had 5.2 million internally displaced persons and 18.3 million people facing acute food insecurity, according to UN data from March. The ministry said displaced persons need emergency shelter, food, medicine, safe drinking water, and access to health facilities and sanitation services.
