Yemen fighting forces thousands into makeshift camps as displacement surges

Thousands of Yemenis displaced by renewed fighting are seeking shelter in makeshift camps, often arriving with little more than the belongings they can carry.

In Taiz province, families are gathering in open areas and between trees as fighting between Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces intensifies.

The United Nations says at least 125,000 people have been newly displaced over the past two weeks. The World Health Organization says more than 500 people were killed in the fighting in the last week alone.

For 51-year-old Nashwan Ahmed Said, the latest displacement is his third since Yemen's war began in 2014.

"The reason we were displaced was the war and the attacks, shelling, and bombardment we were subjected to by the Houthis... We were forced to flee to the Akad area... But the shelling and gunfire followed us there, bullets and shells were like rain over us."

Now living in a makeshift shelter, Said says his family has few basic necessities.

Nashwan Ahmed Said: "We have no proper shelter, no toilets, no food, no drinking water, and none of the necessities... This current displacement is the third time we have been forced to leave our home."

Aid efforts are being hampered by damaged roads, restricted access and a shortage of funding, as fears grow of a wider humanitarian catastrophe.