Mokha: At least 117 journalists and media workers have been displaced from Yemen's western coastal city of Mokha and surrounding areas amid a military escalation since the beginning of September, the Yemeni Media Freedoms Observatory said Wednesday.
According to Anadolu Agency, the nongovernmental organization reported that the journalists and media workers fled Mokha, in the southwestern Taiz province, and nearby areas due to recent military developments and the entry of Houthi forces. The displacement was sudden, with several journalists leaving their homes hours before Houthi forces entered Mokha, fearing arrest or detention because of their journalistic work.
The organization noted that some journalists were forced to leave without taking their personal belongings or professional equipment. It quoted journalists who fled Mokha as saying that 'Houthi forces raided the homes of journalists and looted their belongings.' Others said they left in haste, managing to take only a limited portion of their belongings and equipment.
The group also reported the death of journalist Zakaria Dahman, a staffer at Al-Jumhuriya TV, owned by Presidential Leadership Council member Tareq Saleh, in the southern port city of Aden. Dahman's health deteriorated during the fighting and displacement from Mokha to Aden, according to his colleagues.
The organization highlighted an information blockade from the conflict-hit area, stating that the departure of journalists and correspondents from Mokha has 'reduced access to independent, firsthand information from inside the city, making it more difficult to verify developments on the ground and provide information to the public.' It called on international and local organizations, donors, and press freedom partners to 'urgently support displaced journalists, including through temporary financial assistance, housing, psychological support, professional assistance, and the equipment needed to continue their work safely.'
The western coastal areas of Yemen have witnessed a significant escalation in recent days, coinciding with advances by Houthi forces and their reported capture of positions and areas previously held by government forces. The developments have reshaped the control map along parts of Yemen's Red Sea coast near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Meanwhile, Yemeni government forces have announced advances in the northern Al-Jawf province bordering Saudi Arabia. They have also reported approaching Al-Hazm, the provincial capital. Government forces have also announced airstrikes on Houthi targets in and around Mokha and in parts of Taiz, Lahej, and Al-Dhalea provinces, claiming they destroyed military vehicles and weapons and repelled a major attack on Marib.
Fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthis has intensified since early July 2026 after years of relative calm. Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in September 2014, prompting a Saudi-led Arab coalition to intervene in March 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government.