About 1,400 Yemeni refugees arrived in Djibouti within a 24-hour period, according to Economy and Finance Minister Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, as Houthi forces expand control over the Bab al-Mandeb strait. The refugees landed in Obock, a coastal city just 20 kilometres from Yemen, after perilous sea crossings, some rescued when their boats ran out of fuel. Earlier, 500 people, including women and children, had arrived in Obock under similar circumstances, the minister said in a separate post on X.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) confirmed that vulnerable groups are reaching Obock's shores, with more expected soon. IOM Director General Amy Pope stated that nearly 46,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since fighting intensified last week, many fleeing for the second or third time with almost nothing. The Houthis seized the Red Sea port of Mocha and have overrun surrounding coastal areas and islands, prompting mass evacuations from districts including Maqbanah, Jabal Habashi and al-Maafer.
Djibouti already hosts over 36,000 registered refugees as of March 2026, mostly from Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen, UN figures show. The Bab al-Mandeb strait remains a critical but dangerous migration corridor, used in both directions by displaced people and migrants. The IOM has called for safe, unimpeded access to deliver lifesaving aid as humanitarian needs surge.
The speed of the Houthi advance and the sudden arrival of 1,400 refugees in one day expose the fragility of displacement routes across the Red Sea. Djibouti's capacity to absorb such influxes is under immediate strain, especially with vulnerable groups arriving after life-threatening journeys. The IOM's warning of worsening access to affected populations suggests aid delivery may soon be outpaced by need.
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