LONDON: Around 30 HALO Trust staff members are among hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in the Yemeni city of Taiz after Houthi fighters cut off the last supply route into the government-held enclave, the landmine clearance organization said.
The closure severed the city’s remaining link to the interim capital, Aden, through surrounding mountains and valleys. HALO teams in Taiz say food, water, fuel and medical supplies are dwindling, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis.
The road closures have also separated families.
One HALO employee was outside the city when Houthi forces surrounded it. Her two young children and other relatives fled north that day, but roads between government- and Houthi-controlled areas have since closed, leaving her unable to reunite with them.
“Behind this siege are real people facing impossible choices. Our staff are trapped in Taiz, separated from their families and uncertain when they’ll see their loved ones again,” said Mara van der Kamp, HALO’s Yemen program manager.
“Across the city, families are facing growing hardship as food, water and medical supplies become increasingly scarce. The longer this siege continues, the greater the suffering for civilians who have nowhere safe to turn.”
The blockade comes as fighting intensifies around the front-line city amid renewed conflict between Yemen’s internationally recognized government and Houthi forces.
The shortages in Taiz compound a broader humanitarian emergency. The UN's 2026 Yemen Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan estimates that 22.3 million people need humanitarian assistance, including 18.3 million facing acute food insecurity.
Years of fighting have also left landmines and unexploded bombs, shells and rockets across parts of Yemen. Beyond killing and injuring civilians, these weapons restrict access to farmland, water and aid and prevent displaced families from returning home safely, according to mine action organizations.
The trapped HALO employees are part of the organization’s efforts to clear those hazards in the Taiz region. HALO began operating in Yemen in 2019, starting in Aden before expanding to Taiz in late 2022. It now has about 70 staff members working across Aden, Taiz and Ad Dhale.
Working with Yemen’s national mine action organization, YEMAC, HALO says it has made more than 2 million square meters of land safe.
Other clearance efforts include Project Masam, an initiative by Saudi aid agency KSrelief. The project has removed more than 596,000 explosive devices across Yemen since 2018.