In Yemen's besieged Taiz, locals despair at lack of food, water and gas

In Yemen's Taiz, Um Rian has struggled to feed her children ever since the Houthis laid siege to the government-controlled city, choking a population already exhausted by more than a decade of war.

The Iranian-backed group seized areas south of the city, the third largest in Yemen, in recent days, cutting it off from the internationally recognised government's temporary capital in Aden.

Deprived of their main supply route, the residents of Taiz face shortages and soaring prices.

"There is a crisis in everything: water, gas, vegetables, everything essential", said Um Rian.

She was making her way around the stalls of Taiz's main market, many of which were empty while others displayed exorbitant prices. 

"We can't afford flour or sugar anymore," said Um Rian, who is raising four children on her own.

A historic cultural and academic centre nestled in Yemen's northwestern mountains, Taiz was previously under Houthi siege in 2015, early in the country's civil war.

The year before, the group had seized the capital Sanaa, sparking a conflict that soon sucked in Saudi Arabia at the head of a pro-government military coalition.

That first siege was partially lifted in 2016 by pro-government advances, but the Houthis remained to the north, west and east of Taiz.

The conflict was frozen in 2022 by a ceasefire that largely held until July, with the fighting escalating rapidly in September and the Houthis reaching the city's outskirts.  

- 'Isolated on all sides' -

For several days, the road to Aden, rough and slow even in peacetime, has been inaccessible. 

"When you talk to the merchants, they say they are forced to pay very high prices to bring in goods via roundabout routes, because the roads are cut off. Taiz is isolated on all sides," said Um Rian.

Other residents accuse vendors of profiteering.

"There is manipulation, stockpiling of goods is causing excessive prices," insisted Khaled Mohhamed. "Our salaries are delayed because of the current situation, but at the same time prices are skyrocketing."

Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, was already suffering from a vast humanitarian crisis even before the war reignited.

The World Food Programme said last week that three quarters of Yemen's population, which the UN currently estimates at 42 million people, were currently unable to meet their basic food needs.

In Taiz, the situation has become "catastrophic" because of the siege, said resident Diaa al-Arshi, without hiding her despair. 

"And us, the locals, we have had enough." 

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