About 1,400 people fleeing Yemen have arrived in Djibouti within 24 hours, as renewed fighting drives more families across the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Djibouti’s Economy and Finance Minister Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh announced the figure on Saturday.
The arrivals come as displacement rises sharply in Yemen following a new escalation in fighting.
Women and children are among those reaching the Djiboutian coastal city of Obock, while humanitarian officials expect more arrivals.
1,400 Yemenis arrive in Djibouti
Dawaleh said around 1,400 refugees arrived from Yemen during a single 24-hour period.
A day earlier, the minister reported that 500 people had reached Obock after being rescued at sea.
Their boats had run out of fuel while crossing the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Obock lies across the water from Yemen and has long served as an arrival point for people fleeing the conflict.
Al Jazeera, citing AFP, reported that humanitarian agencies are preparing for further arrivals.
Women and children among new arrivals
Safiya Ibrahim, a humanitarian response coordinator for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), said vulnerable people, including women and children, had reached Obock.
She said more people were expected to arrive in the coming days.
The latest movement comes amid a sharp increase in displacement inside Yemen.
According to the IOM, around 76,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Yemen since July.
The organisation said that figure had quadrupled following the latest escalation in hostilities.
Djibouti faces growing humanitarian pressure
Djibouti already hosts tens of thousands of refugees and asylum seekers.
UN refugee agency figures from March 2026 showed more than 36,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers in the country.
Most are from Somalia, Ethiopia and Yemen.
Its location on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait has made Djibouti an important point along migration routes connecting the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
The route operates in both directions. While Yemenis have crossed towards Djibouti seeking safety, migrants from the Horn of Africa also travel through Yemen while attempting to reach Gulf countries.
Yemen fighting drives new displacement
The latest arrivals follow a rapid change in territorial control along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
Houthi forces captured the port city of Mocha on Thursday and subsequently expanded their presence along the coastline and islands around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, according to Al Jazeera.
The fighting has reportedly forced thousands of families from their homes in several districts.
However, the humanitarian impact extends beyond Yemen.
For Djibouti, the arrival of about 1,400 people in a single day could increase pressure on humanitarian services in Obock if crossings continue.
Aid organisations are now preparing for the possibility that more people will attempt the journey across the narrow stretch of sea separating Yemen from the Horn of Africa.