Human rights organization: Taiz is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster as the Houthi siege continues

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A Yemeni human rights organization said that the city of Taiz faces the risk of an imminent humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the continued siege imposed on it by the Houthi militia, and the prevention of the entry of food, fuel, medicines and water, calling on the United Nations and the international community to intervene urgently to open the roads and ensure the arrival of aid.

Rasd Organization for Rights and Liberties added, in a statement on the occasion of World Food Day, which falls on October 16, that the ongoing siege exacerbates food insecurity and threatens the lives of millions of residents and displaced people in Taiz Governorate.

The organization said that more than 2.5 million people, including about 140,000 displaced people, are affected by the siege, warning of the worsening of the crisis in light of the continued closure of roads and ports and the decline in the arrival of basic supplies.

She added that the local authorities launched an appeal to provide basic food to the population, noting that Taiz faces extremely dangerous levels of food insecurity, at a time when humanitarian needs are increasing and the ability to meet them is declining.

The organization stated that Taiz leads the Yemeni governorates in terms of food insecurity, followed by Al-Hudaydah, Hajjah and Al-Mahwit, calling for urgent intervention to provide food, water, fuel and medicine, and to protect civilians from the repercussions of the military escalation.

These warnings come at a time when Yemen is facing an ongoing food crisis since the outbreak of war in 2014, which has been exacerbated by the deterioration of the economy, displacement, high food prices, decline in sources of income and agricultural production, in addition to a decline in humanitarian funding.

The organization quoted data from the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations that about 18.3 million people in Yemen face severe food insecurity, while about 2.2 million children under five years old suffer from acute malnutrition, including about 500,000 who suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

She warned that the continued deterioration of the situation threatens the right to food, health and life, calling on donors and international organizations to increase humanitarian funding, strengthen nutrition and food security programmes, and support livelihoods and agricultural production.

The organization also called on the United Nations and its agencies to exert pressure to lift the restrictions imposed on the city and ensure unimpeded access to humanitarian and medical aid, stressing the need to address the economic and humanitarian causes of the crisis in addition to the emergency response.

She said that the continued prevention of entry of petroleum derivatives and water, in conjunction with the bombing targeting civilian areas in the city, increases the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe, noting that there have been civilian casualties, including women and children, during the past days.