More than 2,000 have fled from Yemen to Djibouti

 

TT-AFP

 

Published 12.37

 

Seafarers in Yemen protest against Houthi attacks on ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Photo: Abdulnasser Alseddik/AP/TT

More than 2,000 people have fled from Yemen to Djibouti following recent fighting, according to the UN.

They have left the country amidst escalating clashes between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemeni government forces supported by Saudi Arabia.

Tens of thousands have fled following an offensive in recent days, which culminated in the Houthi movement capturing large sections of Yemen's Red Sea coast, thereby consolidating its control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

"More than 2,000 people fleeing the fighting in Yemen have arrived on the coast of Djibouti," the International Organization for Migration (IOM) wrote on X on Sunday.

Djibouti lies opposite Yemen on the other side of the strait and has become a key route for Saudi oil exports after Iran initiated a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. It is also a common transit point for migrants hoping to reach countries in the Persian Gulf.