World

Houthis’ 30‑Day Siege of Taiz Leaves Residents Starved, Isolated

By AbdulHakim Helal

The Houthi forces have surrounded Taiz, Yemen, for 30 days, cutting the city off from food, water, fuel and medical supplies. The blockade began when the Houthis seized al‑Turbah, a town in the far southwest of the Taiz governorate, severing the main road to Aden and the outside world. Since then, the siege has expanded to encircle the city, affecting the 1.5 million residents of Taiz City and the rural districts, including about 180 000 displaced people trapped along the main road between Lahj and Taiz.

The United Nations has warned of a catastrophe inside the city as supplies dwindle. Salah Ahmed Ghaleb al‑Majidi, acting director of the governorate’s Siege Affairs Department, described the situation as “the worst catastrophic siege imposed on a Yemeni city since the war began in 2014.” He said the closure of major access roads has threatened family cohesion and made it impossible for residents to reach relatives.

Ahmed al‑Mikhlafi, a Taiz resident, left the city with his wife and three children to perform Umrah in Mecca. When they returned, they found themselves stranded in the western countryside of Taiz, unable to reach the city. The family was forced to travel a rough secondary road, passing through nearly 20 new Houthi checkpoints. At about 15 km from the city, a checkpoint halted them and told them to return the following day. They waited two days in a rural hotel, paying 100 Saudi riyals ($26.66) per night.

The siege has caused a sharp rise in prices. Ahmed said the fare from Taiz to Aden had risen from 35 Saudi riyals ($9.33) per passenger before the fighting to 100 Saudi riyals ($26.66) after the siege began.

Health services have been severely impacted. Taysir al‑Samei, information officer at the governorate’s health office, reported that access to the city’s hospital fell by 60–70 % by the end of the second week of the siege. Hospitals face shortages of medical supplies and fuel.

Residents outside the city cannot reach health centres in Taiz. A young journalist, identified only as “T F”, was unable to travel abroad for treatment after his condition worsened during the siege. His liver enzyme levels rose to 32 times the normal range, and his doctor urged urgent treatment abroad, but he said leaving the city would be “almost impossible” because the only exit is now in the hands of the enemy.

The blockade has left hundreds of thousands of people in the Taiz area without essential supplies and has caused widespread misery among those trapped inside the city.