Yemenis live in fear as concerns grow that the country could slide back into full-scale war

Yemen’s decade-long civil war killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and pushed the country toward famine before a 2022 truce brought a fragile period of relative calm. Renewed fighting between Houthi rebels and the internationally recognised government, however, has raised fears that the country could once again descend into full-scale war.

Anwar, a father of two from Hodeida, remembers fleeing the Houthi advance and finding safety in Mokha. But last week, explosions rocked the city when the rebels struck Mokha port, reigniting fears of renewed violence and displacement.

“I don’t want our lives to be consumed by constant fear caused by Houthi attacks. Mokha was once a safe city and a refuge for many Yemenis,” he told AFP.

He said his greatest concern was not his own safety but that of his children and family.

Yemen has endured more than a decade of conflict. Last month, renewed regional tensions drew the country deeper into the wider Middle East war, as the Houthis intensified attacks on areas controlled by the Saudi-backed government, effectively ending the relative calm that followed the 2022 truce.

The government said its retaliatory strikes followed deadly Houthi attacks on military positions in Marib, Mokha port on the Red Sea and residential areas housing displaced people.

Anwar’s three-year-old daughter was born after the truce and has never experienced war. When explosions shook Mokha, she ran to her father asking what was happening. Unable to explain the reality to her, he told her the sounds were fireworks for a wedding.

With violence returning, another Mokha resident, Najem Hammoud al-Wahbani, said fear had spread across the city.

“Everyone lives in fear,” he said, adding that missiles and drones now pass overhead regularly while shelling can be heard in the distance. “We fear that tomorrow, it could be right here.”

‘It could destroy everything’

Last month, a spate of tit-for-tat attacks followed the Houthis’ welcoming of an Iranian aircraft in Sanaa.

The rebels later announced a maritime blockade targeting Saudi Arabia, the government’s main backer and a country that led a coalition that carried out extensive airstrikes in Yemen during the war. The Houthis also stepped up attacks on government forces.

Mohammed Ali, who was displaced from Hodeida province to al-Khokha near Mokha, was considering moving his family farther east to Aden.

If fighting reaches Khokha, where he operates a construction business, “it could destroy everything, including my future and my children’s future,” he said.

The Houthis have intensified their attacks against Saudi-backed forces since last month. Earlier this month, their deadliest assault in years reportedly killed 58 government troops, mainly in oil-rich Marib province, according to a military source.

Two civilians were also killed the same day when Houthi shelling struck residential neighbourhoods and displacement camps in Marib.

‘Where would I flee?’

Marib, which is divided between government and Houthi control, has emerged as a major flashpoint. The province hosts around 60 percent of Yemen’s internally displaced population, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Ali Munif, 46, has lived in a displacement camp outside Marib city since Houthi forces captured his village in 2021.

“If war returns to Marib, where would I flee?” he asked.

A mother living near one of the military camps targeted in the recent attacks said the strikes shook her doors and windows “like an earthquake.” She said the violence had revived the fear, anxiety and despair experienced during the height of the war.

The attacks have also affected her ability to sleep.

“We now live with the constant thought that we could become a target at any moment,” she said.