The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) Internally Displaced Persons Protection Monitoring Update issued a warning that millions of displaced Yemenis face worsening conditions as Yemen’s prolonged crisis deepens.
According to the findings of a latest UNHCR assessment, issued this week, the data, collected from over 47,000 households in the first half of 2024, offers insights into the struggles of internally displaced people (IDPs), returnees and host community members.
Away from the world’s headlines, UNHCR reported that it fears the situation is deteriorating. The report shows that 85 per cent of these families are unable to meet their daily food needs and many have resorted to extreme coping mechanisms, like reducing meal sizes or skipping meals altogether.
Another critical but overlooked issue is the widespread lack of civil documentation among displaced families. Over 51 per cent of families surveyed have at least one child without a birth certificate, and 70 per cent have family members without national identity cards.
Despite efforts to improve living conditions, the majority of displaced families do not feel safe returning home due to persistent instability, a lack of livelihood opportunities and dangers like landmines, trapping them in a cycle of protracted displacement.
UNHCR’s report added that the recent catastrophic flooding in the Malhan district of Al Mahweet governorate, triggered by heavy rains and the bursting of three dams, has devastated entire communities adding that “over the past month, floods have claimed 97 lives and injured many more, affected over 56,000 family homes across 20 governorates and displaced over 1,000 families. The hardest-hit areas include Al Hudaydah, Hajjah, Al-Taweela and Marib. Impassable roads are isolating affected areas and hampering rescue efforts.
UNHCR report concluded that available resources are insufficient to meet critical humanitarian needs. As of 31 July, UNHCR’s country appeal for $354 million was just 21 per cent funded, leaving critical areas like protection and shelter severely underfunded.