Yemen's government forces announced on Tuesday, 6 October 2026, that they had taken control of high ground they described as strategic and overlooking al-Mansoura Mountain in Al-Wazi'iyah District, Taiz Governorate. The announcement came as the number of people displaced by the military escalation in the country rose above 184,000, according to the latest data from the International Organization for Migration.
Government forces announce control of Al-Wazi'iyah high ground
The Nation's Shield Forces, which are taking part in operations alongside the government forces, said they had established control over the high ground after clashes with Ansar Allah (the Houthis). It added that the move was part of a wide-ranging military operation launched in Al-Wazi'iyah under a campaign named “Yemen's Dawn”. The government forces reported advances in western Taiz countryside and other areas, saying their operations covered the Western Coast fronts and Marib Governorate.
In contrast, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied that the group had lost the areas it took during the latest battles, stressing that its forces still held what he described as its “field gains”. The developments in Al-Wazi'iyah came days after the government forces announced control of Sama' Fortress in south-eastern Taiz.
IOM records displacement of 184,000 people
At the time, it said the operation was carried out with the support of Popular Resistance fighters in Sama' District, and had resulted in dozens of Houthi members being killed or wounded and others fleeing, according to figures issued by the government side. On the humanitarian front, the International Organization for Migration said 184,000 people had been displaced at least once between 1 August and 4 October 2026, with most displacement recorded since the beginning of September as fighting intensified.
Rising numbers of people killed and wounded in fighting
The widening displacement coincided with a rise in the number of casualties from the fighting. The World Health Organization said that 5,166 people were killed or wounded between 6 August and 2 October, including 959 killed and 4,207 wounded. It added that the week from 27 September to 2 October recorded 685 new casualties, including 121 killed and 564 wounded.
The World Health Organization described Taiz Governorate as the worst-affected front in terms of casualties in the recent period, noting that the daily toll there had risen from 8 to 109 casualties in one week as fighting moved closer to the city. The organisation called for urgent, flexible funding worth 29 million dollars to provide surgical supplies, treat those wounded on the front lines, deliver health services to around 200,000 displaced people and tackle disease outbreaks.
The organisation said it was working to transport an initial shipment of 258 units of emergency health and treatment kits to Aden, worth 184,082 dollars and weighing 8.9 metric tonnes, to replenish medical stocks and support the response to needs arising from the fighting.
In southern Taiz, local sources said shelling attributed to the Houthis had targeted residential villages in the districts of Al-Ma'afer, Al-Misrakh and Qadas, killing 6 civilians and wounding 4 others, including women and children. The sources said a woman was killed and a child, two women and another civilian were wounded in villages in the Bani Yusuf area of Al-Ma'afer District.
The sources added that five members of one family were killed when a mortar shell struck their home in Al-Sarm village in Al-Misrakh District, including a man, his wife, his daughter, his son's wife and her children. They also reported other casualties in the Qadas area and said residents and wounded people were facing difficulties leaving some villages as clashes continued.
