Yemen's Taiz Faces Famine Under Siege, Local Governor Warns

World

Taiz Declared in Famine

The city of Taiz, in Yemen, is now in famine, says the local governor. About one million people live there, and since early October, they have been almost completely cut off from the outside world.

Yemen has been at war since 2014, when Houthi rebels took control of much of the north. In Taiz, government forces hold the city center, while the Houthis control the area around it.

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Al Jazeera

Mapping the siege of Yemen’s Taiz, and the price families are paying

Planner: Clara Lee

11 hours ago

A view over the city of Taiz, Yemen, from Jabal Saber.

Supply Routes Cut Off

Early this month, the city lost its last land routes, fuel stations closed, and prices doubled or tripled. The Houthis also took the city's last outside source of water, and cooking gas has been blocked. The city is in famine, not on the brink of it, said Governor Shelmson.

Hospitals have almost no oxygen left. The World Food Program says it cannot reach more than 600,000 people who need food aid.

Impact on Families and Accusations

One father, Farhan, used to sell cucumbers from a small cart. Now he has no work. His family eats only rice or beans and cooks over firewood because a gas cylinder costs more than three times what it did last year.

Human Rights Watch says the siege could be a war crime because it uses hunger as a weapon. Houthi leader, al-Houthi, denies there is a siege. He says food can still reach the city.