Yemen: Deepening concerns for Taiz City as aid is blocked from entering

Aid agencies warned on Friday of the fast-developing humanitarian emergency inside Taiz City in Yemen, which has been encircled by de facto Houthi forces fighting government troops along the country’s west coast.“It’s 20 days and counting since Taiz has been cut off…we are seeing increasingly that the fighting makes it impossible for us to get in and impossible for people to get out,” said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. “Access roads have been cut off and that means that very little fuel, food or other supplies have reached the city since.”The escalation between Houthi separatists and the Aden-based Government began in early September, ending the relative calm brought about by a 2022 truce.Among the agencies responding to chronic and acute needs across Yemen, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) reported that more than 800,000 people in Taiz have been cut off from assistance. This includes 600,000 people who depend on humanitarian assistance and 200,000 women and children. “We’re desperately trying to regain access to Taiz and we continue to support the broader operations across Yemen,” said Azfar Deen, WFP Regional Communications Officer for Easte...