Djibouti Receives 1,400 Yemeni Displaced in Past 24 Hours

Djibouti has received approximately 1,400 people fleeing Yemen, according to an official announcement by Djiboutian authorities on Saturday. The displacement coincides with ongoing hostilities between Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels, which resumed in September.

Immediate Arrival Figures

Elias Moussa Dawaleh, Djibouti’s Minister of Economy, stated on X that 1,400 Yemeni refugees had entered Djibouti over the preceding 24 hours. His post confirmed the scale and timing of the latest arrivals.

Geographic and Strategic Context

The Republic of Djibouti is a small nation situated in the Horn of Africa, directly opposite Yemen across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This narrow waterway links the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and serves as a critical maritime corridor for a substantial portion of Asia–Europe trade.

Demographics and Entry Point

Safia Ibrahim, Humanitarian Response Coordinator for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), told AFP that women and children are among those who have crossed into Djibouti. She specified that the arrivals entered through Obock, a port town in northern Djibouti, and anticipated further arrivals in the coming days.

Broader Displacement Trends in Yemen

The United Nations-affiliated IOM reported that at least 76,000 people have been internally displaced inside Yemen since July. Of that total, roughly one-quarter — approximately 19,000 individuals — were displaced during the most recent week.

According to an AFP tally based on sources from both sides of the conflict, more than 500 people have been killed since the Houthis launched their latest offensive last week. The majority of the fatalities are combatants.