Yemen (MNN) — Southwest Yemen remains a hotspot in the fighting between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and the Iran-backed Houthis. 

Last weekend, September 26-27, government forces conducted ground and air strikes against the Houthis. This came after the Houthis gained control of Yemen’s west coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier in September 2026. 

Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says that with all the players in this conflict, ultimately, “It’s about influence and control. The people of Yemen, especially the man on the street, is caught in between these different forces.”

yemen, map, Ethiopia

The Houthis gained control of Yemen’s west coast and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier in September 2026. (Photo courtesy of Lara Jameson/Pexels)

According to Yemen’s UNICEF representative, more than 146,000 people there have been displaced since July, when conflict broke out again between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis — events which affected other players. The United Nations estimates that in recent years, nearly 4.8 million people in Yemen have been displaced by conflict, disasters, and economic collapse in the country. 

“Yemen is often a forgotten territory now. Right now, it’s in the world news, and we’re all paying attention. But the vast majority of the time, nobody pays attention,” says Nettleton. “The UN is saying, ‘Hey, there is a humanitarian crisis brewing here. The world needs to pay attention to it.’” 

If you’re a Christian, there’s another layer Nettleton wants you to be tracking: you have family in Yemen. 

“Yes, there are Sunni and Shia [Muslims], but there are also Christians. Now, they are a tiny, tiny minority within the country and they are, as the Scriptures say, ‘hard pressed on every side,’” he says. “It’s not just a story on the news. It’s not just a place 10,000 miles from here. It’s a place where I have family.”

Pressure for new believers comes first from their Muslim family and then from local leaders.

“There are very few in Yemen who want the church to grow. Certainly, nobody in authority,” says Nettleton. “Yet, one of the things that often happens in times of desperation — and certainly Yemen has had those times [and] is having those times — there is an openness to the gospel that maybe doesn’t exist in times of plenty.”

Pray for supernatural wisdom for Yemeni Christians about whom they should speak to about Jesus. 

 “Literally that conversation can lead to your death, or it can lead to an opportunity to share the gospel,” Nettleton says. 

 

Header photo: Children in Yemen (Stock photo courtesy of Irwan Zahuri via Pexels)