Aden: Planning Minister Discusses Displaced Support Projects with UNHCR

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Mohammed Al-Faqmi, discussed on Sunday in the interim capital of Aden, with Mouses Kprono, the Acting Director of Programs at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Yemen, ways to enhance joint cooperation and coordination in implementing humanitarian and development projects and supporting refugees and displaced persons.

The meeting addressed topics related to the voluntary return project for refugees from the Horn of Africa, implemented by the UNHCR, in addition to reviewing its intervention plan and ongoing projects, including adult education programs and the distribution of food supplies to the displaced from the West Coast and Taiz Governorate.

Al-Faqmi stressed the importance of increasing humanitarian and relief interventions for the displaced in camps across various governorates to alleviate their suffering and improve their living conditions. He noted the ministry's commitment to continuing to provide necessary facilities for the UNHCR and enhancing joint coordination to support the implementation of activities and projects for both refugees and displaced persons.

For his part, the Acting Director of Programs at the UNHCR in Yemen affirmed the commission's keenness to continue working and coordinating with the Yemeni government to enhance the implementation of projects and programs for refugees and displaced persons and to help meet their humanitarian needs.

The meeting comes as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that the number of displaced people in Yemen from the beginning of September until October 23 has exceeded 268 individuals, coinciding with the ongoing wave of internal displacement.

The organization noted in a statement published Sunday that families are increasingly moving towards safer areas in the south. In Aden, the number of arriving displaced people has more than doubled since October 7, reaching over 42,000, while Lahj currently hosts about 67,000 displaced people. Displaced families are now living in 62 districts across ten governorates, extending as far east as Al-Mahra.

It added that the escalating conflict in western Yemen is forcing people to leave the country, with thousands fleeing by sea to Djibouti. It pointed out that new data from the IOM shows the extent of the crisis's impact reaches beyond Yemen's borders. 

It continued: As of October 17, 3,836 Yemenis had arrived in Djibouti, half of them children, including 282 under the age of five. Most reported fleeing due to deteriorating security conditions, with reports of several boats landing on shore before reaching their final destination due to running out of fuel. The IOM also recorded 1,327 migrants crossing by sea from Yemen to Djibouti while returning to their countries of residence.