Yemen: Houthi siege, cholera outbreak and aid cuts put civilians in the crosshairs

Yemen’s southwestern city of Taiz is facing a “devastating” humanitarian crisis as escalating tensions are dramatically driving up food prices and causing shortages of supplies, the UN Spokesperson said on Tuesday.Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city, has been a major battleground between the Iran-backed Houthis and the internationally recognised Saudi-backed Yemeni government since the start of the war in 2014. The Houthis have besieged the city since 2015 but tightened their blockade at the start of this month when they took control of the last main road between Taiz and other government-held areas. The development is part of a broader offensive the Houthis launched in early September to seize key territory along Yemen's south-western Red Sea coast. Supplies plummet, prices rocket Current wheat and flour supplies in Taiz could run out in less than three weeks, while food prices have reportedly risen about 50 per cent and cooking gas has become largely unavailable, the UN warns. Petrol prices have also tripled and fuel shortages are putting water supply and health services at risk. “We continue to urge [the parties] to…uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and ...