130,553 IDPs hosted on the west coast
13,872 Individuals newly displaced in 2022
230,000+ Individuals supported by IOM in 2022
SITUATION OVERVIEW
In 2022, the people of Yemen entered their eighth year of conflict. Populations living on the west coast of Yemen remain some of the most severely-affected with critical humanitarian and development needs. The region currently hosts approximately 130,553 internally displaced persons (IDPs) across nine districts in the parts of Ta’iz and Al Hodeidah governorates controlled by the internationally recognized government (IRG). Most of these IDPs are living in a protracted situation in deteriorating displacement sites with sub-standard or no available services.
After the UN-brokered truce was signed in April 2022, the security situation stabilized when compared to the first quarter of 2022, with no significant changes to frontlines. After the truce expired in October 2022, no major escalations occurred in the last part of the year. Sporadic clashes did, however, continue throughout the year in Haymah, Hays and Maqbanah districts, where humanitarian access remained limited.
In 2022, IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) reported that 2,312 households (HHs), or 13,872 individuals, were displaced in areas along the west coast under control of the IRG. Of these, 2,102 HHs were displaced from Al Hodeidah and 210 HHs from Ta’iz. Between November 2021 and March 2022, the escalation of hostilities in southern Al Hodeidah contributed to a significant shift in frontlines and widespread displacements. Almost all (98%) of surveyed IDPs in 2022 were displaced due to conflict and insecurity, mostly in the first quarter of 2022 when an estimated 1,596 HHs or 9,500 individuals were displaced. The insecurity in At Tuhayta and Hays districts in Al Hodeidah, as well as in north and south Maqbanah district in Ta’iz governorate, forced families to flee, primarily to other parts of Hays and Al Khukhah districts in the north and Mawza’ and Al Wazi’yah districts in the south.
Displacement in Al Hodeidah and Ta’iz was more localized than in other governorates; more than half of all displacements were recorded within the same district. Over two thirds of displacements tracked along the west coast in 2022 were concentrated in Hays district (74%) followed by Al Khukhah district (16%). The main needs of newly displaced households on the west coast were food assistance (35%), shelter (24%), financial support (23%), non-food items (6%), among other forms of support. In July 2022, DTM conducted an intention survey, interviewing 2,228 HHs across 24 displacement sites. IOM found that 77 per cent of displaced households intended to remain at their current site without any current or future plans to return or move elsewhere. Around 13 per cent were indecisive and 10 per cent intended to return. However, nearly a third of those with intentions to return did not intend to do so within the following six months.
Access to displacement sites close to frontlines remains restricted, especially in Haymah, Hays and Mawza’ districts. In Haymah district, located one kilometre from the nearest frontline, IOM is concerned that over 10,400 IDPs living in 10 displacement sites and host community members would be in critical risk if the security situation deteriorates. The widespread presence of explosive remnants of war (ERW) threatens the lives of civilians in areas near former and current frontlines. In the summer of 2022, heavy rains and flooding moved ERW to unexpected locations including roads, agricultural areas and civilian neighborhoods. Additionally, frequent carjacking incidents in areas like Mawza’ and Al Waziyah limited the ability of humanitarian partners to provide much needed assistance to vulnerable communities. There were 13 carjacking incidents targeting humanitarian actors in the west coast in 2022.