San Francisco Frontiers - 'Everyone lives in fear': Yemenis worry about return to all-out war

Hodeida native Anwar, a father of two, recalls fleeing the advance of the Iran-backed Houthis, seeking refuge in the city of Mokha.

Last week, explosions startled him and his children as the rebels hit Mokha port, reviving fears of another cycle of displacement and violence.

"I do not want our lives to be haunted by constant panic caused by Houthi terror. Mokha used to be a safe city and a haven for many Yemenis," he told AFP.

"The hardest part is not fearing for my own safety, but fearing for my children and family," he said.

Yemen, which has been embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict, last month became the latest country to be dragged into the Middle East war as the Houthis upended the 2022 truce with the Saudi-backed government, ramping up attacks on areas it holds.

The government said it had retaliated after deadly attacks that hit military camps in the central Marib province and the Mokha port on the Red Sea, as well as residential areas in Marib home to displaced people.

Anwar's three-year-old daughter was born after the truce and has "no idea what war is", he said.

When she heard explosions, she ran to her father and asked what was happening, he said, but he did not have the heart to tell her, saying they were fireworks for a wedding.

With the spectre of war back, Najem Hammoud al-Wahbani, another Mokha resident, said "everyone lives in fear".

"Every day, Houthi missiles and drones fly overhead. We hear shelling in the distance, but we fear that, tomorrow, it could be right here."

- 'It could destroy everything' -

Last month, the Houthi rebels welcomed an Iranian plane landing in the capital Sanaa, setting off a spate of tit-for-tat attacks.

They later announced a maritime blockade of the government's backer Saudi Arabia -- which led a coalition that heavily bombed the country throughout the war -- hitting its tankers in the Red Sea and attacking government forces in Yemen.

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

If fighting reaches Khokha, where he runs a construction business "it could destroy everything, including my future and my children's future", he said.

The Houthis have ramped up provocations of their Saudi foe since last month.

Earlier this month, the rebels launched their deadliest attacks in years, killing 58 government troops, according to a military source, mainly in oil-rich Marib province.

Two civilians were killed in Houthi shelling on residential areas and displacement camps in Marib that same day.

- 'Where would I flee?' -

Marib is divided between the government and the Houthis and has become a flashpoint for attacks. It hosts 60 percent of all internally displaced people in Yemen, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Ali Munif, 46, has been living in a displacement camp on the outskirts of Marib city since his village was overrun by the rebels in 2021.

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

A mother of one living near one of the military camps that were hit told AFP the strikes shook the windows and doors like a quake.

"It brought back the fear, anxiety, and despair we experienced at the height of war," she said, requesting anonymity for security concerns.

The experience shook the charity worker, who has had trouble sleeping since the attacks.

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

strs/aya/smw/abs

K.Gray--SFF