Publication
31 October 2019
Yemen: Urban displacement in a rural society
War and displacement in Yemen are not primarily urban in nature. Despite the amount of media attention given to key urban battles such as the siege of Taiz and the battle for Hodeidah, nearly 70 per cent of conflict and displacement takes place in rural areas.
This paper, part of the 'UnSettlement: Urban displacement in the 21st century' thematic series, examines the urban and rural characteristics of displacement in Yemen, including the push and pull factors in both areas. It provides an overview of historical urbanisation trends in the country, and a rural-urban disaggregation of large conflict and displacement datasets from ACLED and IOM. It examines rural and urban displacement patters and assesses host conditions and the status of basic services in urban centres. It looks specifically at the conditions in the cities of Taiz and Aden, as they both create internal displacement and shelter IDPs. It also analyses future intentions and preferences for durable solutions along urban and rural lines.
