Since last weekend, thousands of refugees fleeing Yemen have been arriving on Djibouti’s shores, as the conflict there has suddenly intensified. More than 2,000 people have crossed the Gulf of Aden to reach Djiboutian territory, with nearly 1,400 arriving within a single 24-hour period. The surge is part of a much larger wave of displacement, with 85,818 people forced from their homes since fighting resumed, 82,000 of them since the start of September alone.
The sudden spike in departures stems from an offensive by Houthi rebels, who seized the strategic port of Mocha and now control much of the coastline along with the islands of the Bab al-Mandeb strait. Their advance has emptied entire villages, particularly in the districts of Maqbanah and Jabal Habashi, forcing whole families to abandon everything and attempt the crossing.
The coastal town of Obock, just about twenty kilometers from Yemen’s shores, is absorbing most of this influx. Regional prefect Moussa Aden Miganeh reported that 1,289 refugees had already been officially registered by the end of the day, while more boats remained at sea carrying additional arrivals. Many of those making the journey are women and children, according to the International Organization for Migration, which described particularly vulnerable groups reaching Obock’s shores after a perilous crossing made with almost nothing.
To manage the influx, Djiboutian authorities have deployed the armed forces, coast guard and national navy to secure landings along the coast. The National Office for Refugee and Disaster Assistance is coordinating the response on the ground, backed by United Nations agencies, including the UN Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Programme, which are handling initial medical screenings, shelter and food distribution. This is not the first time Djibouti has faced such a situation. The country, already home to more than 36,000 registered refugees mostly from Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen, saw a comparable wave during the 2015 Yemen crisis, a reminder of both its experience in hosting displaced populations and the recurring strain regional instability places