The key facts

  • Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan said that Houthis have blocked all roads into the city for 15 days, causing power plants, water supply and garbage collection to stop.
  • According to him, hospitals cannot provide care due to medicine shortages, and humanitarian organizations cannot reach approximately 4 million residents and displaced people.
  • Since October 5, government forces have been conducting the 'Yemen's Dawn' offensive aimed at retaking control of state institutions and the capital Sanaa.

Blockade Halts Basic Services in Taiz

Governor of Yemen's Taiz province Nabil Shamsan announced on Friday that power plants, water supply and garbage collection services in the city have stopped because Houthis are not allowing fuel into the city. In a statement published on Facebook, he said that 'Houthi militias are besieging Taiz and have closed all roads leading to it for the past 15 days.'

Humanitarian Consequences

According to Shamsan, hospitals in Taiz cannot provide patients with medical care due to shortages of medicines and medical supplies. He warned that conditions could deteriorate further for approximately 4 million displaced people and city residents, as humanitarian organizations cannot reach them.

Conflict Context

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since 2014, when Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and a number of other provinces; the following year, a Saudi Arabia-led coalition intervened in support of the internationally recognized government. Tensions have escalated since July: Taiz remains one of the main front lines, where government forces and Houthis have repeatedly clashed. Since October 5, government forces have been conducting a military offensive called 'Yemen's Dawn,' aimed at returning state institutions from Houthi control and retaking Sanaa.