Houthi siege of Taiz cuts off 1.5 million residents from supplies

The Houthi siege of Taiz has now lasted two months, isolating the city's 1.5 million inhabitants from essential food, water, and medical supplies. The blockade also affects residents in surrounding rural districts. The United Nations has warned repeatedly that conditions inside the city could become catastrophic.

The latest encirclement began after Houthi forces captured al-Turbah in southwestern Taiz governorate. This move severed the city's primary connection to Aden and the outside world. The group had previously surrounded Taiz from the north, east, and south after reaching its outskirts in 2015. The capture of the western countryside completed the ring around the city. Approximately 180,000 displaced people are also trapped by fighting along the main road between Lahj and Taiz.

Salah Ahmed Ghaleb al-Majidi, acting director of the governorate's Siege Affairs Department, described the blockade as the most severe imposed on a Yemeni city since the war began in 2014. He stated that rubbish is accumulating inside the city because it cannot be transported to landfill sites outside. Road closures are also separating relatives, which he said threatens family cohesion.

Ahmed al-Mikhlafi, who shortened his name for security reasons, returned from a trip to Mecca to find his route home blocked. He and his wife, Umm Adam, plus their three children had left Taiz a week before the latest fighting began. They delayed their return for more than two weeks, hoping conditions would improve. When they tried to re-enter via Aden, their shared passenger vehicle had to take a rough alternative road because the main route through Hayjat al-Abd and al-Turbah was closed.

Ahmed reported that the family passed nearly 20 new Houthi checkpoints before being stopped roughly 15 kilometers from the city's final entrance. Soldiers told them fighting had closed the road and ordered them to return the next day. The family waited in a small rural hotel for two more days. Umm Adam said nine women and the couple's three children shared one room, while the men stayed separately. The room cost 100 Saudi riyals, or $26.66, per night. The fare for the passenger vehicle from Aden had risen from 35 to 100 Saudi riyals since their initial trip.

Medical access has deteriorated sharply. Taysir al-Samei, information officer at the governorate's health office, said access to the city's hospital declined by 60 to 70 percent by the end of the second week. Hospitals also lack the medical supplies and fuel needed to maintain essential services.

A young journalist identified only as T F has chronic immune-related inflammation affecting his liver enzymes. He previously received specialist care in Cairo. Recent tests showed his enzyme levels had risen to 32 times the normal range. His doctor urged urgent treatment overseas. T F stated that his reporting against the Houthis made leaving through territory they control almost impossible.