World · Middle East · 4 hrs ago
Taiz governor says Houthi siege has pushed Yemeni city into famine
Taiz’s governor says a Houthi siege has pushed the Yemeni city into famine.
The city has about one million residents, and fighting has intensified around it as Houthi forces and government troops battle for control.
Officials say the siege has cut off much of the city’s water and blocked cooking gas, while hospitals are running low on oxygen.
The World Food Program says it cannot reach more than 600,000 people in Taiz who rely on aid, and flour stocks are nearly exhausted.
The United Nations warns that aid access is running out of time as damage to a key road has forced supplies onto narrow mountain routes.
A Houthi leader denies that the city is under siege and says food and aid can enter.
A Saudi airstrike in western Taiz killed at least 13 people, according to the Houthi-run health ministry, as fighting continues and humanitarian agencies call for safe access.
Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan said a Houthi siege has pushed the Yemeni city into famine.
The World Food Program said it could not reach more than 600,000 people in Taiz who depend on aid, while wheat flour stocks were nearly exhausted.
The United Nations warned that 800,000 people trapped in the city need aid and said access has become increasingly difficult.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi rejected reports of a siege, calling them “Saudi-fabricated claims.”
A Saudi airstrike in western Taiz killed at least 13 people on Thursday, according to the Houthi-run health ministry.
- Who
- Taiz residents, Houthi forces and Yemeni government forces are involved. Governor Nabil Shamsan says the siege has caused famine.
- What
- The city faces a worsening humanitarian crisis amid fighting and restricted access to food, water and aid.
- When
- The siege reportedly began in early October; the reports were published on October 29, 2026.
- Where
- Taiz, in southwestern Yemen.
- Why
- Shamsan says Houthi forces’ siege and seizure of the city’s last outside water source have driven the crisis. Al-Houthi says his forces are cutting off weapons supplies, not food or humanitarian needs.
Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan and Human Rights Watch
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi
Siege
Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan and Human Rights Watch
Shamsan says the siege has pushed Taiz into famine; Human Rights Watch says it could amount to the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi
Al-Houthi dismisses reports of a siege as “Saudi-fabricated claims.
Access and restrictions
Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan and Human Rights Watch
Shamsan says water supplies are reduced, cooking gas is blocked, and hospitals are nearly out of oxygen.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi
Al-Houthi says the way is open for food and humanitarian needs, and that his forces are cutting off weapons supplies to what he calls “Saudi-backed militias.
Fighting has forced more than 281,000 people from their homes in Yemen, according to the United Nations.
The siege of Taiz reportedly began.
Houthi forces advanced on Jabal Sabr, the strategic mountain overlooking Taiz.
Flights at Aden international airport were suspended after a missile reportedly landed at a nearby military camp.
A Saudi airstrike in western Taiz killed at least 13 people, according to the Houthi-run health ministry.
- Taiz population
- About 1 million people
- People dependent on aid
- More than 600,000 people in Taiz, according to the World Food Program
- People trapped in Taiz
- 800,000, according to OCHA
- People displaced in Yemen
- More than 281,000 since the beginning of August, according to the UN
- Deaths and injuries since offensive began
- 271 killed and 1,129 wounded, according to Shamsan
3 sources
What people are saying
The city is in famine, not on the brink of it
Saudi-fabricated claims
The Houthis cannot use the siege of Taiz to justify the humanitarian catastrophe they are causing civilians
All parties must respect international humanitarian law and allow safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access so that aid can reach people in need.