Yemen: Taiz Under Houthi Siege for 20 Days as Warnings Escalate
- 2026-10-24
- 10:15:39
Taiz – The United Nations warned on Friday that time is running out to deliver aid to the southern Yemeni city of Taiz, which is under siege by the Houthis who are preventing supplies from reaching it.
Since the beginning of October, the Houthis have been besieging Yemen's third-largest city after cutting off the road linking it to Aden.
"There is an urgent need to deliver essential supplies and life-saving assistance to those who need it," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
"Twenty days have passed and Taiz remains isolated," he added during a press conference in Geneva. "The ongoing fighting makes access to the city virtually impossible and prevents residents from leaving."
The UN official noted that "the shortage of water supplies is a growing concern, as most residents rely on water delivered by truck."
He pointed out that "water production has decreased by about half," while "the cost of trucked water has nearly tripled."
He explained that local humanitarian organizations are continuing to distribute their remaining supplies, warning that stocks are nearly depleted. He also confirmed that cooking gas has become scarce.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that hospitals in Taiz governorate are struggling to maintain life-saving services amid severe shortages of fuel, oxygen, medicines, and medical supplies.
WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said, "With hospital services disrupted and stocks dwindling to dangerously low levels, urgent action is needed to ensure the continuation of life-saving care for thousands of patients."
He added, "In Taiz city alone, 42 health facilities have reported critical shortages," noting in particular that the fuel shortage threatens oxygen production, ambulance services, and vaccine cold chains.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said it has identified more than 52,000 cases of acute malnutrition among more than 168,000 children screened in Taiz this year, including more than 11,500 cases of severe acute malnutrition.
After years of relative calm in Yemen, fighting between government forces and the Houthis resumed last July against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East, before the pace of confrontations escalated in September, reaching the outskirts of Taiz.