Thousands flee Yemen to Djibouti amid renewed fighting near Bab al-Mandeb

More than 3,400 people have arrived in Djibouti in 48 hours after renewed fighting in Yemen pushed civilians across the Red Sea, according to Djiboutian authorities. The arrivals have been concentrated along Djibouti's northern coast, near the town of Obock, where boats carrying families and other civilians have been landing since the previous weekend. Officials say the influx is linked to a Houthi offensive that seized the Red Sea port of Mocha and advanced along the coast towards the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

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Djibouti's state news agency reported the figure on Sunday, while footage broadcast by the state broadcaster showed wooden dhows and larger vessels arriving crowded with women and children. People were seen carrying sacks of clothing, water containers, food and other personal belongings as soldiers unloaded the boats after dark under floodlights. Alexandre Coissac, who heads the International Organization for Migration in Djibouti, said people had arrived on "all kinds of sea vessels, from small dhows to larger ships", and said one vessel had carried hundreds of people recently.

Djiboutian officials have warned that the sudden movement is putting further strain on already stretched services in a country of fewer than 1.2 million people. The pressure is especially acute around Obock, which lies close to the narrowest stretch of the Bab al-Mandeb between the Horn of Africa and Yemen. The area is also near a departure point for refugees travelling in the opposite direction, through Yemen towards the Gulf, underlining how the same corridor is used for both flight and migration.

The latest arrivals matter because they are taking place in one of the world's most sensitive maritime chokepoints. Bab al-Mandeb links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and is a key route for regional trade and shipping, so fighting along the Yemeni coast can quickly affect civilian movement and wider security concerns. The Houthi advance towards the strait adds to the significance of the displacement, because it places more pressure on a corridor already shaped by conflict, migration and military activity.

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The International Organization for Migration said fighting had driven residents out of entire districts in Yemen, including Maqbanah and Jabal Habashi. It said wider displacement inside Yemen had risen to more than 85,000 people, with most of that movement occurring in the first two weeks of September. UNICEF said children making the crossing were exposed to extreme heat, dehydration and a lack of safe drinking water, highlighting the risks faced by those leaving by sea.

The route across the Red Sea has long been used by people fleeing conflict and hardship in Yemen, and Djibouti has often been a first point of arrival on the African side. The current movement is notable because it comes as fighting intensifies again and as the Houthi movement expands its control along the coast. The mention of Mayyun, also known as Perim, in the Bab al-Mandeb strait points to the strategic importance of islands and ports in the area, where control of territory can affect both military positioning and civilian access.

For Djibouti, the immediate challenge is how to receive and support new arrivals while local services are already under pressure. For Yemen, the displacement figures suggest the fighting is continuing to force people from their homes on a large scale. What remains unclear is how long the surge in crossings will continue, whether more families will be stranded on the Yemeni side because of fuel shortages, and how authorities on both sides of the strait will respond in the coming days.

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