‘The dogs were eating their bodies’: Thousands of Yemenis flee war across the sea to UK

**Lead**

Thousands of Yemenis are fleeing the relentless civil war in their homeland by crossing the sea in an attempt to reach the United Kingdom, according to humanitarian organisations and refugee support groups. The exodus, which has intensified in recent months, has produced harrowing testimony from survivors who describe seeing the bodies of fellow travellers being eaten by dogs on the shores of transit countries. One witness, speaking through an interpreter to aid workers, recounted: “The dogs were eating their bodies. There was no one to bury them.” The statement, corroborated by multiple field reports, underscores the extreme desperation driving families to risk the dangerous maritime route that stretches from the Horn of Africa across the Mediterranean and into British waters.

**Context**

Yemen has been engulfed in a devastating conflict since 2014, when Houthi rebels seized the capital Sana’a, prompting a Saudi-led military intervention the following year. The war has created what the United Nations describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with more than half the population facing acute food insecurity and millions displaced internally. While most Yemenis have sought refuge in neighbouring countries such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Djibouti, a growing number are now attempting the far longer journey to Europe, with the United Kingdom emerging as a preferred destination due to historical ties, existing diaspora communities, and the English language.

The sea route is notoriously lethal. Refugees typically depart from the Yemeni coast across the Gulf of Aden to Somalia or Djibouti, then travel overland through Ethiopia and Sudan to Libya or Egypt, where they board overcrowded boats bound for Europe. From there, many try to cross the English Channel in small inflatable dinghies or hide in lorries on ferries. The International Organization for Migration has recorded thousands of deaths along this corridor each year, though the true figure is believed to be far higher because many bodies are never recovered. The recent accounts of dogs scavenging corpses on the beaches of Djibouti and Somalia highlight the lack of basic dignity and burial services for those who perish en route.

Human rights groups have documented a sharp increase in the number of Yemeni nationals arriving in the UK via irregular means. In the first half of 2026, the Home Office reported a significant rise in asylum applications from Yemen, though exact figures are not publicly available due to ongoing data verification. Many applicants cite the collapse of civil infrastructure, indiscriminate airstrikes, and the spread of disease as reasons for leaving. The Houthi authorities have imposed severe restrictions on movement, and the Saudi-led coalition’s blockade has crippled the economy, leaving ordinary Yemenis with few options for survival.

**Analise**

The surge in Yemeni migration to the UK carries profound implications for British asylum policy and international humanitarian law. The UK government has faced criticism for its tough stance on irregular migration, including the controversial Rwanda deportation scheme, which was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court in 2023. While the current Labour administration has scrapped that policy, it continues to pursue deterrence measures such as increased border patrols and fast-track removals. Advocates argue that Yemeni refugees, fleeing a conflict that has been described by the UN as a “man-made catastrophe,” should be granted safe and legal pathways to protection rather than being forced into the hands of smugglers.

Moreover, the graphic descriptions of bodies being eaten by dogs serve as a stark reminder of the dehumanisation that occurs when states fail to provide orderly migration channels. The scenes are not isolated; similar reports have emerged from the shores of Libya, Tunisia, and Greece, where local authorities are overwhelmed and burial practices are often neglected. The psychological toll on survivors, many of whom are children, is immense. Aid agencies warn that without a coordinated international response, the death toll will continue to mount, and the desperation will only deepen as the war in Yemen shows no sign of abating.

The UK’s role in the Yemen conflict also complicates the picture. Britain has been a key arms supplier to Saudi Arabia, whose air campaign has been implicated in numerous civilian casualties. Human rights organisations have called for an end to arms sales, arguing that the UK bears a moral responsibility to assist those displaced by the war it has helped fuel. The arrival of Yemeni refugees on British shores thus forces a reckoning with the consequences of foreign policy decisions made in London.

**Fontes**

- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – Yemen situation reports - International Organization for Migration (IOM) – Missing Migrants Project - Amnesty International – reports on Yemen and refugee rights - Human Rights Watch – documentation of civilian harm in Yemen - BBC News – coverage of Yemen conflict and migration routes - The Guardian – reporting on UK asylum policy and Yemeni refugees - Reuters – field reports from Djibouti and Somalia migration hubs