Yemen war disrupts roads and ports, displacing over 230,000

September 29, 2026 at 08:47 PM2 min

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Fighting in Yemen's Taiz governorate has displaced more than 230,000 people since mid-September, the United Nations said on September 22. The Houthi advance along the Red Sea coast and around Taiz has closed roads and disrupted port operations, cutting off aid to thousands in makeshift camps. The escalation follows four years of relative calm in the area.

Key Facts

The United Nations said on September 22 that internal displacement from the recent fighting could swell to more than 230,000 people.
Houthi rebels took over the entire Red Sea coast of Yemen and tightened their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb strait in September.
More than 5.2 million people were already internally displaced in Yemen before the latest escalation.
Taiz, one of Yemen's largest cities, has sat on the front lines between the Yemeni government and the Houthis for most of the country's 12-year war.

Displacement Wave

The wave of displacement began when the Houthis made a rapid advance in September, taking over the entire Red Sea coast of Yemen and tightening their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb strait. Internal displacement from the most recent bout of fighting could swell to more than 230,000, the United Nations said on September 22, on top of the more than 5.2 million people who were already internally displaced in Yemen. Mohammed, a 39-year-old from Jabal Habashi district, fled his village with his wife and child and found shelter with a relative in Taiz. Thousands of others arriving in Taiz from the countryside are now staying in displacement camps.

Aid Access Crisis

With roads and port operations affected by war, providing aid for the thousands of Yemenis living in the makeshift displacement camps has become a pressing concern for the government and humanitarian groups. Mohammed Radman, a displacement coordinator with the Executive Unit for IDP Camp Management in Jabal Habashi district, said road closures have caused indescribable human suffering in Taiz and elsewhere where fighting has erupted. Closed roads sometimes mean death for civilians, Radman told Al Jazeera. Before the escalation in fighting, aid and essential supplies were able to reach Taiz with ease, but now travel is risky and travellers must navigate arduous, mountainous alternative roads.