Yemen's internationally recognized government has warned of an "imminent medical and humanitarian catastrophe" in the southwestern city of Taiz, as Houthi forces continue to tighten their siege and block essential supplies.
The Yemeni Ministry of Health and Population said in a statement on Saturday that medicines, intravenous fluids, medical supplies and fuel at health facilities in the city are "nearly exhausted."
According to the ministry, emergency services, surgery, intensive care, dialysis and neonatal care may be forced to halt if the situation continues, leaving patients, the wounded, pregnant women and newborns "at immediate risk."
The ministry also warned that the fuel shortage threatens generators, ambulances and the cold chain used to keep medicines and vaccines effective, potentially leading to "severe complications and preventable deaths."
It called for the immediate lifting of the siege and the reopening of supply routes, as well as guaranteeing safe passage for patients, ambulances, medical staff and aid shipments. The ministry urged the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to "provide medicines, intravenous fluids, medical supplies, oxygen and fuel" to the city's health facilities.
"Every delay increases the risk of service disruption and loss of life," the statement said.
A reimposed siege
The Houthis, an Iran-backed armed group also known as Ansar Allah, seized Yemen's capital, Sanaa, by force in 2014 and later set up their own administration. The group controls the country's north and northeast.
Taiz endured a devastating Houthi siege between 2015 and 2016, when Yemeni government forces were pushed into a small area in the city center. The siege was broken in 2016, but the Houthis maintained a partial blockade through other entrances. In 2024, they agreed to reopen a road from the east, but it was closed again after fighting resumed.
The new siege began taking shape in early October. In September, the Houthis launched an offensive along the Red Sea coast in Taiz province, capturing the port city of Mocha, and by October 4 they had taken control of the town of At Turbah, cutting the last main road linking Taiz city to other government-held areas.
Yemeni government forces, backed by Saudi Arabia, launched a counteroffensive in early October.
Nabil Jamil, director of the Yemeni government's planning and development office in Taiz province, told Al Jazeera that the current siege is "more comprehensive and has a more severe impact than in 2015." According to him, about 2.8 million people live in government-controlled areas of the province, along with 200,000 newly displaced people.
Fuel has become scarce, and on the black market the price of a 20-liter jerrycan of gasoline has risen from 30,000 Yemeni rials ($19) to 90,000 rials ($58). "We are still waiting for a response or intervention on the ground," Jamil said.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization have warned that the fighting is pushing Yemen's already fragile health system into a dangerous situation. "Civilians must never be turned into a tool of pressure in any conflict," emphasized lawyer Nabil Sharyan, head of the organization For Justice and Development.
