Taiz, Yemen – Aman Murshed, a mother of five in her 50s, has spent more than five years displaced in a camp in Taiz’s al-Kadaha area, hoping to return to her home where her family farmed and raised livestock. Those dreams were vanquished when battles between the Houthis and the internationally recognised government re-erupted this month with the fiercest fighting in years. The Houthis’ capture of the entire Red Sea coast on Friday meant that displacement “is alarmingly rising by the hour”, according to the United Nations.
Here we have no food and rely on neighbours to share a meal or two with us each day. I had to leave all our food behind,” Murshed told Al Jazeera English. But suddenly, fighting erupted near our camp three days ago, and we found ourselves fleeing again toward an unknown destination.
It was around 5am, and there were no cars in the camp or the surrounding area since it is on the front line. So, we walked for more than two kilometres until we found a pick-up truck that brought us to this camp for free.” Hundreds of other families from the camp fled in every direction, some taken in by relatives or friends, while others searched for another camp that might have space for them. Many without a home now spend their days under the shade of trees, attempting to avoid the worst of the baking midday heat.
Murshed ended up at the al-Malika camp in al-Maafer district, Taiz, where she knew relatives, but her family lacks proper shelter. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that at least 46,000 people in Yemen have fled their homes since new clashes erupted last week. On Friday, the Houthis captured Mocha and the last remaining parts of the Red Sea coast not under their control, sending panic through government-controlled areas and causing mass displacement.
Murshed only had time to grab a few blankets and mattresses before she fled her tent, leaving most of her belongings behind. She is most distressed about abandoning her livestock, her primary source of income and security. But this time, I had to leave them behind, and I am certain they were killed in the fighting.” She is now trying to piece together a basic shelter from wooden poles and a tarpaulin donated by her neighbours, knowing that her future now lies in the hands of locals and aid groups who might help support her family.
Murshed says she can endure life without enough food and few belongings but her heart breaks for the children in the camp, who have no education, proper nutrition or other essential support. An estimated 22.3 million people of a total population of about 35 million require humanitarian assistance and protection services in Yemen, according to the 2026 Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) by OCHA’s ReliefWeb. These include 5.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs).
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