Yemen: A complex humanitarian crisis
Yemen is the only country in the Arabian peninsula to have signed the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. It is a transit country for migrants, especially from the Horn of Africa. Yemen hosts nearly 150,000 registered refugees, 80% of whom are from Somalia. Although Syrians currently account for only 3% of the registered refugee population, Syrians continue to enter Yemen in large numbers, even though Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world.
The humanitarian situation in Yemen is very complex as both a refugee host and refugee producing country. Yemenis continue to seek refuge in neighboring states to escape the war that has intensified as a result of the political turmoil that has plagued the country since the mid-2000s. Unfortunately, the political situation has not stabilized and the transitional period following the popular uprisings, which evolved into military confrontations in 2014, has stalled, leading to a major humanitarian crisis and large exodus.
Poor conditions and the lack of basic services have left Yemenis with limited options with many choosing to flee to safer areas. Given the conditions imposed by the armed conflict, most Yemenis are not able to travel through airports, but rather have to travel across the sea on a journey of at least 18 hours, which presents major risks.
Official statistics from international organizations remains limited due to a lack of access, however UNHCR has reported more than 24 million people are in need inside of Yemen, with more than 4 million internally displaced persons inside Yemen.
UNHCR has established an operational data portal with the latest available information on the humanitarian situation.
The BBC has also published a series of articles and background information on the situation in Yemen:
