Taiz Civilians Face Displacement as Aid Routes Close and Hospitals Run Short on Fuel

“The Houthis’ closure of the only supply route linking Taiz to Aden is placing civilians at grave risk, obstructing humanitarian aid and cutting off essential supplies,” said UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk.

In an appeal to Houthi fighters, whom he said had surrounded Taiz city, Türk urged them to allow aid to enter immediately. He said 32 civilians had been confirmed killed across the governorate, including 14 children and nine women. He warned that the risk of death and injury would rise sharply as fighting moved closer to densely populated parts of the city.

The escalation follows the resumption of clashes last month between Houthi fighters, formally known as Ansar Allah, and the internationally recognized government based in Aden, ending the relative calm established by the 2022 truce.

Taiz is particularly concerning because roughly half of the people recently displaced by the violence have sought shelter there.

‘An ocean of concerns’

“Taiz is certainly the number-one concern at the moment in an ocean of concerns,” said Akhil Iyer, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) representative in Yemen.

“Many people have been forced to flee repeatedly. They arrive in camps and communities that are already overcrowded and where food is scarce or unavailable. Clean water is almost nonexistent when they reach safety. They have literally arrived with nothing but the clothes on their backs, and they have almost nothing left to sustain themselves.”

According to the UN World Food Programme (WFP), wheat flour stocks in affected parts of Taiz are nearly depleted.

“This is an alarming development in a governorate that already faces some of Yemen’s highest levels of food insecurity, with 10 of 16 districts classified as being in emergency conditions,” Iyer said.

Briefing journalists in Aden, the UNICEF official described the deteriorating conditions in conflict-affected areas, where “garbage is piling up—particularly in Taiz city—as sanitation services come to a halt.”

Continuing hostilities have made it extremely difficult and dangerous for humanitarian agencies to reach vulnerable communities and deliver fuel and other essential supplies.

Health emergency

The situation could trigger an even more severe health emergency in a country already grappling with cholera and measles outbreaks, as well as suspected cases of diphtheria and dengue.

“We are deeply concerned about the water and sanitation situation in Taiz because diesel fuel is essential to operate pumping stations in and around the city. Supplies have been threatened by limited access and blocked routes, particularly the route from Aden to Taiz city,” Iyer explained.

He noted that although UNICEF had pre-positioned sufficient ready-to-use therapeutic food before the conflict escalated earlier last month, the supplies could not be distributed to health facilities because “all of the routes are closed.”

“We are calling on all parties to protect children and civilians, safeguard water systems and health facilities, and uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law. This includes allowing humanitarian actors access.”

Oxygen running out

World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic reported that 12 hospitals in Taiz had approximately four days of fuel remaining. The hospitals were also facing a “daily deficit” in oxygen cylinders, while 115 of 127 essential medicines had stocks sufficient for about a week or less, he said.

Matthew Saltmarsh, a spokesperson for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), said access problems were preventing aid teams from reaching those most in need, although protection activities continued “where access allows.”

“Let us not forget that there are some 65,000 refugees and asylum-seekers who are also urgently in need of support; most are from Somalia and Ethiopia,” he added.

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