Dodging snipers, housing crisis forces Yemenis to live on front line

Taiz, Yemen – Um Yousef knew that living on the front line in Taiz was dangerous. The area had been quieter for the past few years thanks to a general de-escalation of the war in Yemen, but it still lay between territory controlled by Yemeni government forces and Houthi rebels.Destroyed buildings mark the city’s front line areas, evidence of the brutal fighting that has lasted for more than a decade.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Oman talking with Tehran on Hormuz as US and Iran continue strikeslist 2 of 3Yemen’s valleys and farms are full of dangerous plastic wastelist 3 of 3US attacks Iran as Houthis allow Chinese ships to pass: What’s the latest?end of listBut Um Yousef felt that she didn’t have a choice. A single mother of four children in her 40s, she couldn’t afford the typical market rate of about $130 for a three-bedroom house in the central Yemeni city. Her husband died years ago while working abroad, so she was the sole breadwinner for the family in a country where poverty has increased sharply since the war began more than a decade ago.“There is a huge demand for houses, and all my efforts failed while I was living in a single room with my children,” recal...