The United Nations calls for facilitating humanitarian access to besieged Taiz

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The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called on Tuesday to open a corridor to deliver humanitarian aid to the city of Taiz, which has been besieged by the Iran-backed Houthis since the beginning of October and are closing the road linking it to Aden.

Turk warned in a statement that "the Houthis' closure of the only supply route linking Taiz to Aden exposes civilians to serious risks, prevents the arrival of humanitarian aid and impedes access to basic goods," adding, "Humanitarian aid must be allowed to enter the city immediately and its passage facilitated."

Increasing health and environmental risks

The Yemeni city of Taiz is facing increasing health and environmental risks, with waste accumulating in the streets and residential neighborhoods, amid warnings of the repercussions of the continued siege imposed on it, which threatens the spread of epidemics.

Taiz Governorate's Undersecretary for Health Affairs, Ilan Abdul Haq, said that the city's health and environmental system is "going through a critical stage that threatens the death of hundreds of patients," especially intensive care residents, children in nurseries, and patients with kidney failure and cancer.

She also added in statements to Al-Arabiya/Al-Hadath on Monday that the local authorities had taken exceptional measures, including the creation of a temporary waste dump within the city, to reduce the risks of garbage accumulation, but the Houthi militia re-targeted cleaning efforts and prevented the access of mechanical equipment to the temporary dump.

She stressed that the failure of these efforts led to the accumulation of waste in the streets and residential neighborhoods, and the spread of unpleasant odors, warning that the continuation of the situation may create conditions for the return of the outbreak of epidemics, most notably cholera.

In addition, a number of city residents expressed their dissatisfaction with the worsening crisis and the spread of unpleasant odors in the markets and streets, calling on local and international authorities to intervene urgently to lift the restrictions that hinder cleaning work, and to enable the competent authorities to transport and dispose of waste, in order to avoid the exacerbation of health and environmental risks.

Warnings of deteriorating health and environmental conditions coincide with fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Taiz Governorate, in light of the continued restrictions imposed on roads and basic supplies. The Yemeni "Rasd for Rights and Liberties" organization previously said that the city of Taiz faces the risk of a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the continued siege imposed on it by the Houthis, 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 roads and ensure the arrival of aid.

The European Union has also previously called on the Houthis to immediately lift the siege on the city of Taiz, and allow the entry of food, water, medicine and fuel, in light of the movements led by the Yemeni government and the local authority to mobilize international support and facilitate the arrival of necessary supplies to the population and service facilities.