Yemen: Displaced in Sanaa’s Old City

by  Shabia Mantoo
Mohammed Ali unloads jerry cans from his wheelbarrow in the Old City of Sanaa. The 33-year-old fled with 10 family members from Yemen’s northern province of Sa'ada, on the border with Saudi Arabia, after his house was destroyed. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Mohammed Ali unloads jerry cans from his wheelbarrow in the Old City of Sanaa. The 33-year-old fled with 10 family members from Yemen’s northern province of Sa'ada, on the border with Saudi Arabia, after his house was destroyed. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]

Sanaa, Yemen - Rocked by more than three years of conflict, the majority of those living in Yemen are in need of humanitarian assistance. 

The civil war escalated in March 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition launch air attacks on Yemen against Houthi rebels captured much of the country. 

Since then, more than 10,000 people have been killed, millions have been forced to flee and the country has been ravaged by disease and hunger. 

This photo essay is provided by the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

Forced to flee her home, 70-year-old widow, Qafia, passes time at the entrance of a small house she rents in Sanaa's Old City. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Forced to flee her home, 70-year-old widow, Qafia, passes time at the entrance of a small house she rents in Sanaa's Old City. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Jamal Mahmood, 13, juggles school and work, selling necklaces in the morning at Sanaa's Old City market before attending school at noon. Forced to flee his home in the neighbouring Amran governorate at the beginning of the war, Jamal helps provide for his parents, siblings and grandfather earning between $0.80 and $3.50 a day. More than 10 percent of Yemen's workforce are believed to be children. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Jamal Mahmood, 13, juggles school and work, selling necklaces in the morning at Sanaa's Old City market before attending school at noon. Forced to flee his home in the neighbouring Amran governorate at the beginning of the war, Jamal helps provide for his parents, siblings and grandfather earning between $0.80 and $3.50 a day. More than 10 percent of Yemen's workforce are believed to be children. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Sisters Eman and Amani Asabah play among rubble and debris in the Old City of Sanaa. After their house was destroyed in the war they fled with their family from the Old City but have since returned to live in a dwelling near their former home. In addition to two million currently displaced in Yemen, there are one million displaced now attempting to return back to their homes. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Sisters Eman and Amani Asabah play among rubble and debris in the Old City of Sanaa. After their house was destroyed in the war they fled with their family from the Old City but have since returned to live in a dwelling near their former home. In addition to two million currently displaced in Yemen, there are one million displaced now attempting to return back to their homes. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Having escaped Yemen’s embattled governorate of Taizz, Ahmed Saleh Ali sits on a rooftop terrace in Sanaa’s Old City, longing to return home. He arrived in Sanaa more than a year ago with his six children after his home was shelled. He is among more than 22 million people in Yemen that are in need of humanitarian assistance. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Having escaped Yemen’s embattled governorate of Taizz, Ahmed Saleh Ali sits on a rooftop terrace in Sanaa’s Old City, longing to return home. He arrived in Sanaa more than a year ago with his six children after his home was shelled. He is among more than 22 million people in Yemen that are in need of humanitarian assistance. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Waiting for customers in Sanaa's Old City, Mahmood Mohammed (left) supports five members of his family with the modest income he receives as a porter at the market. He is forced to prioritise rent and food and struggles to afford essential medication for two of his children who suffer from chronic illnesses. Adequate health care is out of reach for more than 16 million people in Yemen with medical equipment and medications also in short supply. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Waiting for customers in Sanaa's Old City, Mahmood Mohammed (left) supports five members of his family with the modest income he receives as a porter at the market. He is forced to prioritise rent and food and struggles to afford essential medication for two of his children who suffer from chronic illnesses. Adequate health care is out of reach for more than 16 million people in Yemen with medical equipment and medications also in short supply. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Ali Abdulkader, 13, stands at the site of what was once his former home in the Old City of Sanaa. Abdulkader lost four members of his family, including his father, brother, uncle and aunt, when their house was destroyed in the conflict. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Ali Abdulkader, 13, stands at the site of what was once his former home in the Old City of Sanaa. Abdulkader lost four members of his family, including his father, brother, uncle and aunt, when their house was destroyed in the conflict. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Siblings Mohammed, Batool and Luai Ali Zaid walk on the rubble of their neighbour's house, which was destroyed by conflict in the Old City of Sanaa. The children fled the area with their family after the incident but have since returned. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]
Siblings Mohammed, Batool and Luai Ali Zaid walk on the rubble of their neighbour's house, which was destroyed by conflict in the Old City of Sanaa. The children fled the area with their family after the incident but have since returned. [Mohammed Hamoud/UNHCR/Al Jazeera]