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“It comes as the US State Department issued a security alert warning Americans in the Middle East that hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen had the “potential to escalate rapidly”.”

“The Houthis, who control the most populous parts of Yemen and much of the north, have been launching attacks towards Saudi Arabia since declaring a naval blockade against Riyadh in July, with strikes targeting Saudi vessels in the Red Sea.”

“Oil prices crept up to $108 per barrel, lifted by disruption around the Strait of Hormuz and the burgeoning crisis between US ally Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels near the Red Sea.”

““Recent escalations present a dire threat to civilians in Yemen, who have already endured more than a decade of conflict and humanitarian crisis,” says Oxfam Yemen’s country director Ferran Puig.”

“The fighting quickly ground to a bloody stalemate, with most frontlines stalled, leading to a major humanitarian crisis in what was already the poorest Arab state, until a ceasefire was agreed in 2022 that held until this summer.”

“The military escalation is compounding an already severe humanitarian crisis in southwestern Yemen.”

“Log in Yemen's health system is on the brink of collapse, according to doctors and health professionals, as renewed fighting sends hundreds of casualties a day to hospitals that were already crippled by years of war and cuts to international aid.”

“The crisis in Djibouti comes amid a deepening funding crisis at UNHCR, which has been forced to cut its global operations and thousands of staff as governments reduce humanitarian spending.”