The “Cycle of Displacement”: Renewed Fighting in Yemen Threatens Youth

On October 10th, 2026, the Houthis carried out missile and drone strikes on King Khalid International Airport, a critical Saudi aviation hub. The attack was the second Houthi attack on the airport that week, and was the deadliest in more than a decade since fighting renewed between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. In response, the Saudi government suspended flights at the airport until October 25th, when it partially reopened for a limited number of flights.
Repeatedly pausing and resuming violence in Yemen between the Saudis and Houthis has resulted in a “cycle of displacement.” By the end of September, more than 130,000 people had been displaced since missile and drone attacks between the two sides resumed earlier in the month. Many people have fled to displacement camps, but blockaded roads and lack of access to transportation in certain regions have made travel difficult. Since the beginning of Yemen’s Civil War, food and education access as well as quality of life have drastically declined. Among the consequences of the conflict, it is Yemeni children who suffer disproportionately.

Fighting between the Yemen-based insurgent group, the Houthis, and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has been a prolonged conflict, beginning in 2014 when Houthi forces took over Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. Saudi Arabia intervened in March 2015, citing concerns over control of key shipping routes and fears of growing Iranian influence over Yemen. The Saudis have since supported Yemen’s counterinsurgency efforts. An informal truce between the rebel group and the Saudi government in 2022 had paused fighting, but regional fighting between Iran and Israel has sparked conflict across the Middle East. 

In particular, Yemeni children have been directly victimized by the brutality of the civil war, which the resumption of conflict between the Houthis and Saudis has exacerbated. Beyond violence, destroyed infrastructure, and disrupted daily life, they also face a food insecurity and malnutrition crisis. More than one in four Yemeni children are acutely malnourished, and food insecurity across Yemen is consistently among the highest in the world. Approximately 55 percent of the displaced population are children, leaving one of the most vulnerable populations without access to basic needs. 

With education inconsistently accessible, many Yemeni children have been left with no choice but to work selling cheap goods. Most schools have been forced to close, but there are some that have made the brave decision to stay open. Students at one school in the southwestern province of Taiz witnessed a missile strike nearby and the school ultimately chose to close, with many of its 600 students facing psychological trauma as a result. Children with career aspirations cannot be guaranteed the access to education that they are entitled to. There are reports of children being struck by debris while performing daily tasks as ordinary as fixing vehicles and filling tires. Civil wars like the one in Yemen often inflict severe and disproportionate suffering on civilians. Frequently, rebel groups and/or state forces do not intend to directly injure or kill civilians, but they get caught in the crossfire regardless. 

Various UNICEF projects, funded by multiple countries, have treated hundreds of thousands of Yemeni children, but no amount of aid can ensure peace and security. Conditions of precarious stability leave an entire young generation to grow up with the reality that their lives could be uprooted at any moment.