Medical warehouses are unsafe and inaccessible, fuel is not arriving, fleeing is not an option, and food is simply running out. The 800,000 people in the city of Taiz in south-western Yemen are largely isolated, with all roads leading in and out blocked for the past three days.
Taiz was already struggling for food before full-scale war returned to Yemen, and the UN has warned that wheat and flour could now run out in less than three weeks.
Speaking to The National, an aid worker in the suburbs who tracks violations by the Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces said people were unable to flee.
“People cannot leave. They are afraid, even of speaking,” he said. “Whatever little does manage to enter is being taken over by bandits.” As supplies dwindle, prices have skyrocketed.
Saeed Saif, a co-ordinator for Taiz and Yemen's west coast with the UN Population Fund, said traders had “hiked up prices” during the crisis. “Food prices have gone up by more than 50 per cent since the escalation,” he told The National from Aden.
The UN and other international organisations have pulled staff out of the province due to security risks. Mr Saif was in Taiz until September 18.
People have been asking family and friends outside the city for help. But some of these requests cannot be met, and the situation is only becoming more desperate. “We had sent some fuel to people who needed it two weeks ago. It still hasn't arrived because of the siege,” one source said.
Taiz is the third-most populous city in Yemen. It has remained largely under government control until the Houthis began waging battles in recent weeks, aiming to capture the city and the wider province. Victory would pave the way for the rebels to seize areas further south, towards the government's interim capital in Aden, and expand their already substantial territory.
Taiz province is also home to the Kahboub Mountains, over which the two sides have been fighting. The mountain range overlooks roads leading to the Bab Al Mandeb strait, where Houthi threats could disrupt up to 15 per cent of global shipping.
The World Food Programme warned that the situation could quickly turn into a “humanitarian catastrophe” if aid continues to be blocked. In the suburbs where the Houthis are in control, there is slightly more access to supplies, but witnesses say the situation is complicated in different ways.
“As a woman, it's not safe. I can't even go to the souq without facing issues,” another aid worker told The National. “Someone told me that she was harassed with her daughters by the militias. This is becoming increasingly problematic.”
The National could not independently confirm the source's claims. Overall, the sentiment seems to be one of desperation, fear and isolation. Mr Saif said that many Yemenis feel “let down” by aid organisations that were supposed to, but are unable to, help them.
“People lost trust. They make us feel like we disappointed them. I felt guilty (leaving).” Others have simply given up. They feel that being displaced several times as front lines change is no longer viable, sometimes because they can't afford the move.
Most people are terrified, Mr Saif said. “They need immediate psychological support.” One of the many fears is that the fighting will be protracted, as the battle for control continues.