As families are fleeing under fire to escape fighting on Yemen's west coast, EU remains one of the few donors sustaining vital aid

Aden, Yemen, 24 September 2026 —  Displacement inside Yemen has passed 280,000 people since the escalation between Ansar Allah and the Government of Yemen began along the west coast in August, with families now sheltering across Taiz, Lahj and Aden in urgent need of support. Thanks to the European Union’s humanitarian funding, IRC continues to deliver lifesaving protection, health, nutrition, and other emergency services.

Taiz has become the epicentre of the crisis, with the largest concentration of displaced families across the governorate. Lahj and Aden are also recording rising numbers as the fighting spreads, along with Al Abyan, Hadramawt and Ma'rib. Families are reported to be moving at night under fire, carrying little more than what they can hold, and over 3,700 have crossed the sea to Djibouti in search of safety.

"Families are arriving in Taiz, Lahj and Aden with nothing, no shelter, no clean water, no clinic to turn to,” said Caroline Sekyewa, IRC's Yemen Country Director. “Some donors, like the EU, have kept their funding flexible enough to move with us as the crisis shifts, and that is what has let us set up support where families actually are." 

The EU is funding mobile health and nutrition teams, child protection and women’s protection services, and emergency water and sanitation support for newly displaced families across Taiz, Lahj and Aden. The funding also supports referral pathways so people arriving with nothing can reach the nearest functioning health facility.

“As Yemen faces a renewed escalation of conflict, the European Union remains committed to standing alongside the Yemeni people and supporting those most affected by the crisis. EU-funded humanitarian assistance continues to provide life-saving healthcare, nutrition, protection, water and sanitation services to displaced families and vulnerable communities across the country. With humanitarian needs growing and resources under increasing pressure, sustained international support is more important than ever to ensure that people affected by conflict can access the assistance and protection they urgently need,” said Daniela D’Urso, Head of Office of the European Union Humanitarian Aid Office in Yemen.

IRC teams are providing mobile health, nutrition and protection services to newly displaced families in southern governorates, but funding gaps mean many people in need will go unsupported unless more donors step up.