Fighting re-erupts in Yemen and civilians are paying the price

Taiz, Yemen – Aman Murshed, a mother of five in her 50s, has spent more than five years displaced in a camp in Taiz’s al-Kadaha area, hoping to return to her home where her family farmed and raised livestock.

Those dreams were vanquished when battles between the Houthis and the internationally recognised government re-erupted this month with the fiercest fighting in years.

The Houthis’ capture of the entire Red Sea coast on Friday meant that displacement “is alarmingly rising by the hour”, according to the United Nations.

“We used to hope to return home, but today we just hope to retrieve the basic belongings we left behind in the previous camp. Here we have no food and rely on neighbours to share a meal or two with us each day. I had to leave all our food behind,” Murshed told Al Jazeera English.

“The last four years were calm, and our hopes of returning home grew stronger. But suddenly, fighting erupted near our camp three days ago, and we found ourselves fleeing again toward an unknown destination.

“The only priority was to carry the children and flee as quickly as possible, because any delay could mean death. It was around 5am, and there were no cars in the camp or the surrounding area since it is on the front line. So, we walked for more than two kilometres until we found a pick-up truck that brought us to this camp for free.”

Hundreds of other families from the camp fled in every direction, some taken in by relatives or friends, while others searched for another camp that might have space for them. Many without a home now spend their days under the shade of trees, attempting to avoid the worst of the baking midday heat.

Murshed ended up at the al-Malika camp in al-Maafer district, Taiz, where she knew relatives, but her family lacks proper shelter. “They understand our suffering and will help us settle down,” she said.