Yemen: Worries deepen for Taiz City as aid is blocked from entering

“It’s been 20 days and counting since Taiz was cut off…we increasingly see that this struggle is successful impossible for us to get in and impossible for people to get out,” said Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN aid coordination office, Ocha. “Road access has been cut off and that means very little fuel, food or other supplies have reached the city since then.”

The escalation between Houthi separatists and the Aden-based government began in early September, ending the calm brought by a ceasefire in 2022.

Among the agencies responding to chronic and acute needs across Yemen, the UN World Food Program (WFP) reported that more than 800,000 people in Taiz had been cut off from aid. This number includes 600,000 people dependent on humanitarian assistance and 200,000 women and children. “We are desperately trying to regain access to Taiz and we continue to support broader operations across Yemen,” said Azfar Deen, WFP Regional Communications Officer for East and Southern Africa.

Increase in water prices

There are growing concerns about dwindling water supplies in Taiz City as most of the population relies on water transported by trucks, OCHA spokesperson Mr. Laerke explained. But “with roads closed and diesel fuel to run trucks extremely scarce, water production in the city has fallen by about half. And the cost of buying water for trucks has increased by about three-fold. You can imagine what the impact will be on the people who are stuck there,” he told reporters at a briefing scheduled in Geneva.

United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEFhighlighting deep concerns about widespread hunger in Yemen. In Taiz alone, the agency has examined more than 168,000 children this year, and more than 52,000 children were found to be acutely malnourished, including more than 11,500 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition.

The agency has prepared nearly 8,000 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food throughout the Taiz region to help treat children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. This amount is enough to maintain services for approximately three months, but “even when supplies are available, access constraints and disruptions to supply lines can make it difficult for partners to transport supplies and for families to safely obtain treatment,” said spokesman Ricardo Pires.

Displacement is increasing

Between 7 June and 19 October 2026, the UN migration agency, IOMThere were around 258,679 refugees recorded, the majority in Taiz and Lahj provinces. Many families have experienced repeated displacement and sought refuge in refugee camps and overcrowded host communities.

Additionally, on October 17, 3,836 Yemeni nationals arrived in Djibouti, reportedly fleeing the deteriorating security situation.

Reports show at least 1,574 people have been killed and 6,939 others injured in the Yemeni conflict since August.