The siege on Taiz has cut humanitarian supplies to the Yemeni city, the United Nations has warned, and left many of its inhabitants without food and other essentials. UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday that the Houthis – an armed group also known as Ansar Allah (Arabic for Supporters of God), who have surrounded the city, must immediately allow humanitarian relief to enter or risk a catastrophe. Civilians wishing to leave must be allowed to do so freely and safely.” Taiz, which has been repeatedly besieged throughout the war, has been encircled again by the Houthis after they captured a major road linking the city to southern Yemen.
The humanitarian situation in Taiz is reaching a breaking point with the prices of basic commodities multiplying in price, amid shortages of some goods. Continued fighting in Taiz governorate has also killed at least 32 civilians between August 1 and October 19, including 14 children. There are fears of more deaths as fighting approaches the city.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government had appealed to the United Nations to intervene and lift the blockade, warning that the Houthi siege threatens more than 4 million people. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that shifting front lines and road closures have cut off 800,000 people from life-saving assistance, the vast majority located in Taiz. Nationwide, more than 18 million Yemenis face severe food insecurity.
Forces aligned with the internationally-recognised government on Monday launched air strikes in Taiz governorate that destroyed Houthi reinforcements in Najd Qasim and a weapons depot in Jabal Habashi. On Tuesday, local authorities raised the death toll from a Houthi attack on a military base in Shabwa governorate to 73. Monday’s Houthi ballistic missile strikes on al-Alam camp were condemned by the Yemeni government as a “treacherous bloody assault” and a war crime.
President of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Rashad al-Alimi formally requested the UN to designate the Houthis as a “terrorist organisation”. The United Kingdom said on Tuesday it would deploy fighter jets to help protect Saudi Arabia from attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, after cities and infrastructure were targeted in rocket and drone attacks. The British Ministry of Defence said that Typhoon warplanes would play a “defensive role” only and would not carry out attacks in Yemen.
Egypt’s parliament meanwhile delayed a vote on Monday to authorise the military to support Saudi Arabia in its fight against the Houthis. Ali al-Dahab, a military and security strategic affairs expert, said that while there appears to be more international support for the anti-Houthi alliance, this will not likely translate into boots on the ground in Yemen. The Yemeni military launched a sweeping offensive dubbed “Dawn of Yemen” on 5 October to reverse recent Houthi advances.
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