ARCD Supports Displaced Yemeni Families in Djibouti
Published Date:
For displaced Yemeni families along the Red Sea coast, the decision to leave often came in minutes. UNHCR reports that new arrivals in Djibouti fled sudden bombardment, shelling and gunfire, with mothers quickly gathering their children and whatever they could carry before heading for the coast and boarding small boats.
By 18 September 2026, nearly 3,000 people had crossed the Bab al-Mandeb Strait to Djibouti in less than a week, according to UNHCR, and the agency is preparing for more than 10,000 arrivals. Families landing in the Obock region have limited access to hygiene supplies, clothing, sleeping materials and basic water-related items. Africa Relief and Community Development (ARCD) is preparing emergency assistance for the most vulnerable among them through its Yemen Emergency Crisis Response campaign.
Why Families Are Fleeing Yemen
Yemen has been divided for years between the Houthis, who hold the capital Sanaa and much of the north, and the internationally recognised government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia. A UN-brokered truce in 2022 halted large-scale fighting after eight years of war that killed tens of thousands of people. The current round of fighting has broken that relative calm and spread across several provinces at once.
Fighting Spreads Along Yemen's West Coast
Fighting resumed in July, after airstrikes on Sanaa airport's runway prevented an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from landing, and the Houthis retaliated with missile attacks on Saudi Arabia. The escalation has since become entangled with the wider regional war involving Iran.
On 10 September 2026, the Houthis seized the port city of Mocha, then overran the rest of the Red Sea coastline and the islands around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Fighting is now centred on the Kahboub Mountains overlooking the strait, putting the coastal communities closest to Djibouti directly in its path.
The Dangers Forcing Families to Leave
Taiz has been hit hardest, with IOM recording nearly 50,000 people displaced from districts including Jabal Habashy, Al Ma'afer and Maqbanah, many of them on the move at night with nowhere safe to go. Displacement inside Yemen offers little safety: IOM told a UN briefing about a woman in Taiz who gave birth in the open, without shelter or medical care, shortly after being displaced.
For many of the families now reaching Djibouti, this is not the first time. UNHCR says many are facing displacement for a second time, having fled Yemen during the 2015 crisis and returned when they felt it was safe. For families near the coast with nothing left to rebuild, the sea has become the way out.
What the Latest Figures Show
The numbers explain why aid agencies are warning that needs are outpacing the response:
- Displacement: UNHCR reported hostilities uprooting families across eight governorates, from Al Hodeidah to Shabwah. By 22 September, UN figures put the number displaced inside Yemen at more than 120,000, most of them from Taiz and Lahj.
- Casualties: WHO's latest situation report records 674 deaths and 2,998 injuries since 6 August.
The new fighting has landed on a country that was already in deep crisis:
- Humanitarian need: A joint statement by 14 humanitarian organizations, including Oxfam and the IRC, says 22.3 million people across Yemen need humanitarian assistance and protection.
- Hunger: Oxfam reports that at least 18.3 million people are acutely food insecure, and more than 2.2 million children under five are acutely malnourished.
Every newly displaced family is starting from that baseline, and many had very little to fall back on before this round of fighting began.
What Families Face When They Reach Obock
Obock, on Djibouti's northern coast, has long been an arrival point for people fleeing Yemen, and the crossing is short but dangerous. Djiboutian families and the Yemeni refugee community already living there have opened their doors and shared what little they have. But goodwill alone cannot provide shelter, water and sanitation at the speed boats are landing.
A Dangerous Crossing by Sea
UNHCR recorded more than 2,400 people crossing from Yemen to Djibouti in just four days, arriving mainly through Obock, Khor Angar, Moulhoule and Godoria. One group of around 500 people, including women and children, had to be rescued at sea after their vessels ran out of fuel. UNHCR also reports that thousands more have been unable to flee because of insecurity and fuel shortages.
Markazi Refugee Village Is Filling Up
New arrivals are moved from coastal landing points to Markazi refugee village for registration and assistance. UNHCR says Markazi only has room for around 5,000 more refugees, and children are being placed in schools that were already crowded. UNHCR's representative in Djibouti has warned that more support is needed "before more families arrive and needs outpace our capacity.”
Women, Children and Older People Need Help Most
According to UNHCR, more than 60 percent of the people crossing into Djibouti are women, children and older people. Some arrivals describe having to leave family members behind in Yemen. As a result, many mothers are caring for children and elderly relatives alone, often without the basic items needed to get through each day.
ARCD's Dijibouti Office Emergency Response for Displaced Yemenis
ARCD's Dijibouti Office is designed to complement assistance already provided by other humanitarian factors, while addressing immediate needs identified among the displaced population. It focuses on five areas.
1. Food
Displaced families need access to essential food while they wait for longer-term support. ARCD's appeal provides food packages alongside other essential items, drawing on its wider food and nutrition programs.
2. Water
Families in displacement need basic household items to collect, store and use water. ARCD's response includes water packages containing six bowls for water collection and use, building on its WASH program for clean water and sanitation.
3. Shelter Needs
Many families arrive with nothing to sleep on. ARCD's planned assistance includes mats and mattresses to provide basic sleeping and resting conditions for vulnerable displaced people.
4. Women's Hygiene and Clothing
Women and girls have specific hygiene and clothing needs that can be overlooked during emergency responses. The project includes sanitary pads, pajamas and shawls to support hygiene, dignity and protection, connecting to ARCD's broader health programs for women and families.
5. Transport and Distribution
Relief supplies only help once they reach the families who need them, so the appeal covers transportation, packaging and unpacking. This matters more than usual here: UNHCR warns that further insecurity around Bab al-Mandeb could force shipping around the Cape of Good Hope, adding 25 to 30 days to delivery times.
How You Can Help Families Arriving in Obock
Among those most vulnerable are women, children, elderly people, and individuals with health-related vulnerabilities, who face particular challenges accessing essential items during displacement. Your donation helps provide essential support to families who have been forced from their homes:
- $30: Provides a basic hygiene kit for one woman.
- $65: Provides 5 mats and mattresses for one family.
- $100: Provides food packages for 2 families.
- $225: Provides 50 women's pajama and shawl sets.
- $280: Provides 100 water packages.
- $450: Supports transportation, packaging, and unpacking of relief supplies.
Families displaced from Yemen are now trying to meet basic needs far from home, many of them for the second time. Your donation helps provide essential items that support hygiene, dignity, sleeping conditions and everyday living for vulnerable displaced families in Obock.
If your employer offers matching gifts, you may be able to double your impact through ARCD's donation matching.
>> Help provide emergency shelter and sleeping supplies for displaced families in Obock
FAQs
1. Is Djibouti already hosting other refugees?
Yes. Before this crisis, Djibouti was already hosting around 36,000 refugees, mainly from Somalia and Ethiopia. The new arrivals from Yemen are adding pressure to a response that was stretched even before September.
2. Are the people arriving from Yemen refugees or migrants?
UNHCR describes this as primarily a movement of refugees fleeing conflict and insecurity. It says the people arriving are seeking international protection and should be received and assisted, and it has thanked Djibouti for keeping its borders open.
3. Who registers new arrivals in Djibouti?
Djibouti's National Office for Assistance to Refugees and Disaster-Stricken People (ONARS) leads registration and referrals at the Markazi site. Humanitarian partners provide life-saving assistance alongside the government's response.
4. What are Djiboutian authorities doing to help?
According to IOM, Djiboutian authorities are leading the response and have mobilised the navy, army, police and health services. Arrivals transported to Markazi have been receiving water, high-energy biscuits and hot meals.
5. Are Yemeni refugees fleeing to other countries too?
Yes, in smaller numbers. Authorities in Somaliland and Puntland have reported arrivals in the hundreds, and UNHCR expects sea conditions limiting those crossings to ease from mid-October.
6. Can aid still reach people inside Yemen?
It is getting harder. UNHCR reports that insecurity, damaged roads, telecommunications outages and movement restrictions are disrupting operations, especially along the west coast. Damage to Al Makha port has further limited humanitarian logistics.
7. How much funding does the UN say is needed?
UNHCR estimates it needs $14 million to meet immediate needs for displaced families inside Yemen. It says additional international support will also be needed in Djibouti to keep reception, protection and essential services running.
8. Who delivers ARCD's aid in Obock?
ARCD's team in Djibouti is leading the organization's emergency relief in Obock. Donations made through the appeal, fund the supplies that the team is preparing.
9. Can I double my donation?
If your employer runs a matching gift program, you may be able to double your contribution. You can find out how it works through ARCD's donation matching page.
10. Do I have to choose one of the listed gift amounts?
No. The listed amounts show what specific gifts provide, but you can give any amount through the Yemen Emergency Crisis Donation Page. Every contribution supports ARCD's response for families in Obock.
