UN warns time running out for besieged Yemeni city Taiz
UN says Taiz has been cut off for 20 days, affecting over 800,000 people, as water costs triple and hospitals face acute shortages.
The story in focus
Al Jazeera reports that UN OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said Taiz has been cut off for 20 days since Houthi forces encircled the city in early October, leaving over 800,000 people without aid; water trucking costs have tripled and cooking gas is largely unavailable.
- UN OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke said it is 20 days and counting since Taiz was cut off.
- WFP says more than 800,000 people are cut off from aid, about three-quarters dependent on humanitarian assistance.
- WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said 42 health facilities face acute shortages of fuel, oxygen, medicine and supplies.
- UN screenings found over 52,000 children in Taiz with acute malnutrition, including about 11,500 severe cases.
- The European Commission pledged an additional 22.5 million euros in aid.
Siege cuts off aid
Houthi forces have encircled Taiz since early October, cutting the road to Aden and preventing fuel, food and other supplies from entering, Al Jazeera reported, citing UN OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke.
Laerke said fighting makes it impossible for aid groups to get in and for people to get out. Most residents rely on water brought by trucks, whose cost has tripled, while cooking gas is largely unavailable, threatening community kitchens.
Health and hunger crisis
WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said 42 health facilities in Taiz face acute shortages of fuel, oxygen, medicine and supplies, according to Al Jazeera.
UN screenings found more than 52,000 children in Taiz with acute malnutrition, about 11,500 of them severe. WFP regional communications officer Azfar Deen said the agency is desperately trying to regain access.
Aid pledge and displacement
The European Commission said on Friday it would release an additional 22.5 million euros in aid to Yemen, adding to 87.5 million euros previously allocated for 2026, Al Jazeera reported.
The UN says renewed escalation has displaced nearly 260,000 people, mostly in Taiz and Lahij provinces, and more than 3,800 have fled to Djibouti.
How many people are cut off from aid in Taiz?
The UN World Food Programme says more than 800,000 people in Taiz are cut off from aid, about three-quarters of whom depend on humanitarian assistance, according to Al Jazeera.
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