By Fatma Younis
A Saudi airstrike killed at least 13 people in western Taiz on Thursday, while the city's governor declared Taiz is in famine due to a Houthi siege that began in early October.
Famine conditions worsen
Governor Nabil Shamsan said the city of about 1 million people receives only a fraction of needed water after Houthi forces seized its last external source. Cooking gas is blocked, forcing restaurant closures and families to burn wood. Hospitals are nearly out of oxygen. The World Food Program cannot reach over 600,000 aid-dependent residents, and wheat flour stocks are nearly exhausted.
Siege may constitute war crime
Human Rights Watch researcher Niku Jafarnia said the siege could amount to the war crime of using starvation as a method of warfare. Shamsan reported 271 killed and 1,129 wounded since the offensive began earlier this month, adding that rescuers and ambulances have been targeted.
Houthi leader denies siege
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi dismissed reports of a siege as "Saudi-fabricated claims," stating that humanitarian access remains open and his forces are only cutting off weapons supplies to what he called "Saudi-backed militias."
Displacement compounds crisis
The UN migration agency says Taiz has absorbed about 124,000 displaced people since August. Yemen's civil war, ongoing since 2014, has made Taiz a focal point, with government forces holding the city center while Houthis control surrounding roads.
