Intensified clashes in Yemen have broken a month‑long ceasefire, sending more than 125,000 people fleeing their homes.

Ceasefire collapses amid heavy fighting

Since the United Nations brokered a truce in early August, the front line between Houthi forces and the Saudi‑backed Yemeni government has held a fragile calm. Overnight, however, heavy artillery and air strikes were reported in the governorates of Taiz and Hajjah, signalling a clear breach of the agreement.

Local witnesses say the renewed shelling targeted residential neighbourhoods and market streets, prompting families to abandon their homes in the dead of night. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) confirmed that the violence has driven an estimated 125,000 people from their homes in the past two weeks.

Humanitarian fallout

Most of the displaced have converged on the Al Kadha camp on the outskirts of Taiz, a makeshift settlement that was already strained by earlier waves of conflict. Aid workers describe rows of tarpaulin shelters, long queues for food parcels and a shortage of clean water.

“The camp is at capacity and we are seeing new arrivals every hour,” said a senior humanitarian coordinator with the International Committee of the Red Cross, speaking on condition of anonymity. The coordinator added that medical clinics are overwhelmed, with only a handful of doctors for thousands of patients.

International response

The United Nations has called the ceasefire breach “a serious setback for peace efforts” and urged both parties to return to negotiations. Secretary‑General António Guterres, speaking at a press briefing in New York, appealed for an immediate humanitarian corridor to allow aid to reach the most vulnerable.

Saudi Arabia, which leads the coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government, has accused the Houthis of “unprovoked aggression” and pledged to resume air operations if the violence continues. The Houthi movement, meanwhile, blames the coalition’s “illegal strikes” for the escalation, a claim echoed by Tehran‑aligned media outlets.

Regional powers and the United States have signalled readiness to convene a special UN Security Council session, though concrete steps remain uncertain. Meanwhile, humanitarian NGOs warn that without swift access, disease outbreaks and malnutrition could spike in the crowded camps.

For the displaced families, the future remains bleak. Many have left behind crops, livestock and possessions, hoping the fighting will cease before the next harvest season. As aid convoys line up at the camp’s periphery, the next few days will determine whether the renewed violence becomes a protracted crisis or a catalyst for renewed diplomatic engagement.