Yemeni rights group warns of humanitarian disaster in Taiz as 2.5 million affected by blockade

The Rasd Rights and Freedoms Organization has warned of an imminent humanitarian disaster in Yemen’s Taiz province, citing the ongoing blockade that is preventing the entry of food, fuel, medicine, and water. The group said more than 2.5 million people, including around 140,000 displaced persons, are suffering from the effects of the siege.

In a statement marking World Food Day on October 16, the organization called on the United Nations and the international community to urgently intervene to open roads and access points to Taiz and ensure the unhindered flow of humanitarian and medical aid. It warned that restrictions on essential supplies are worsening food insecurity and threatening the lives of residents.

The organization said that the continued closure of roads and reduced access to supplies comes as humanitarian needs are rising and the ability to meet them is declining. It noted that local authorities have issued an appeal to provide basic food for residents amid deteriorating living conditions.

Taiz leads Yemeni provinces in food insecurity, followed by Hodeidah, Hajjah, and Al Mahwit, the group said, urging the urgent provision of food, water, fuel, and medicine, and calling for the protection of civilians from the impact of military escalation.

Citing data from the World Food Programme and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the organization reported that about 18.3 million people across Yemen face acute food insecurity, while around 2.2 million children under five suffer from acute malnutrition, including nearly 500,000 with severe acute malnutrition.

The organization attributed the ongoing food crisis to the effects of the war that began in 2014, as well as economic decline, displacement, rising food prices, reduced income sources, declining agricultural production, and lower humanitarian funding.

It warned that continued deterioration threatens the rights to food, health, and life, and called on donors and international organizations to increase humanitarian funding, strengthen nutrition and food security programs, and support livelihoods and agricultural production.

The organization also noted that the prevention of fuel and water supplies from entering Taiz, along with shelling targeting civilian areas in the city, is compounding humanitarian risks. It pointed to civilian casualties, including women and children, in recent days.

The group urged the United Nations and its agencies to apply pressure to lift restrictions on the city and ensure the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian and medical aid. It stressed the need to combine urgent responses to living needs with addressing the economic and humanitarian causes of the crisis.