Since September 2026, the military escalation between Ansar Allah forces and the internationally recognized government of Yemen, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, has plunged people back into uncertainty after years of war. More than 230,000 people have been displaced from the western coast of Yemen, seeking refuge as far as possible from the front line amid insecurity.
For many, this is not the first time they have had to flee for their lives. Since the start of the war in 2015, Yemen has faced a worsening and chronically underfunded humanitarian crisis, with malnutrition and cholera on the rise.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are providing support at health facilities and through mobile clinics in affected areas, witnessing the health effects of the poor living conditions many displaced people are facing. Among more than 1,000 consultations provided by MSF mobile teams since mid-September, the most common health issues were upper respiratory tract infections (245 cases), urinary tract infections (127), and gastritis (79) — all related to their living conditions.
Displaced people lack access to health care
Maher, 19, was a fisherman in Mokha before fleeing last month with five other families. “We fled by a miracle — the roads were already closed,” he explains. “We walked almost a day and a half and took a bus.” He is currently residing in Atira displacement camp, which is located in Lahj governorate, about 155 miles from Mokha. “We sought refuge in the camp, but there were no tents,” Maher says. “We stayed under the trees for almost a week in the middle of the wind before they could give us a tent.”
An extension was built at Atira camp to host 150 newly displaced families. Today, around 310 families who have been displaced over the past decade of war live in the camp, miles away from any infrastructure and exposed to the burning sun.
“Displaced people are in critical need of medical and humanitarian support,” says Itta Helland-Hansen, MSF country coordinator in Yemen. “MSF has been conducting assessments and carrying out medical activities in different informal settlements and displacement camps and has witnessed the extremely difficult conditions displaced people are living in. We see pregnant women who have not had access to a single prenatal care consultation and had to deliver in unequipped and unsanitary places; we keep referring acutely malnourished children to hospitals that are already reaching their full capacity; and we see how medical complications increase due to the limited access to health care.”
Many displaced people are running low on their medications, especially those living with chronic diseases. “Our teams are seeing patients with empty boxes of medication for epilepsy, hypertension, and diabetes, desperately asking for more,” Helland-Hansen says.
Humanitarian response falls short of the needs in Yemen
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only $3.78 million has been secured of the $31 million needed to fund a 90-day emergency response in Yemen. Before the latest military escalation, efforts to address Yemen's general humanitarian crisis were severely underfunded, with only 22 percent of necessary funds secured.
Fatima and her eight children fled Mokha at night and in a hurry because of shelling. She reached Atira camp with almost nothing. “Our main issue here is access to drinking water,” Fatima says. “I do not have money to buy bottles, and my kids are thirsty. The water available in the tanks is salty. I am very tired; I suffer from heart and hypertension issues and had to push my kid, who uses a wheelchair, for long distances.” Latrines are not yet available for the newly displaced people in Atira, increasing the risk of cholera spreading. WHO warns that cases have tripled in the past three weeks.
In Mokha, western Yemen, the context remains volatile as the fighting continues. Our teams are maintaining their pediatric and maternal activities at Mokha General Hospital and continue to support a primary health care center in Khokha, 30 miles north of Mokha. We also resumed activities at the primary health care center in Mafraq al Mokha after two weeks of disruption due to violence. Patients’ medical needs may be exacerbated by a context in which humanitarian and medical organizations struggle to respond and access to supplies, such as ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) for malnourished children, becomes increasingly difficult. In Khokha, cases of acute watery diarrhea have almost doubled in the past week, from 28 to 52.
“In this context, an urgent scale-up and inclusive response to displacement needs including water and sanitation, the improvement of living conditions, and outbreak prevention must be prioritized,” adds Helland-Hansen.
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