UN: Over 46,000 Displaced as Yemen Conflict Intensifies

More than 46,000 people have fled their homes in Yemen following a fresh escalation in fighting between Houthi rebels and government forces, according to United Nations figures.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said the number of displaced people was increasing rapidly, describing the rise as happening by the hour in a statement released on Friday.

The agency urged all sides in the conflict to allow safe humanitarian access and to protect civilians, relief workers and aid facilities.

IOM chief Amy Pope said many families were now fleeing the fighting for a second or third time since the conflict began, having lost nearly everything in the process.

According to the IOM, large numbers of people left the port city of Mocha overnight, taking their belongings with them, after Iran-aligned Houthi forces seized the strategically significant Red Sea city from the internationally recognised government on Thursday. The organisation reported that entire villages had been abandoned in some areas of the country.

The IOM again called on warring parties to ensure humanitarian access and safeguard the security of aid personnel.

The appeal came as reports emerged on Friday that Houthi forces had also taken control of an island in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, giving them command of Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline.

Separately, the United Nations expressed concern after Houthi fighters took over a major humanitarian compound and its equipment in Mocha, stressing the need to protect aid workers and facilities.