Taiz siege leaves Yemen city short of food, water and gas

Taiz residents are facing shortages of food, water and gas after the Houthis seized areas south of the government-controlled Yemeni city and cut it off from Aden, the internationally recognised government's temporary capital.

Residents said the closure of the main supply route has driven up prices in the city, which has already endured years of war. Um Rian, a mother of four, said there was “a crisis in everything” and that she could no longer afford flour or sugar.

The road to Aden has been inaccessible for several days. Um Rian said merchants were bringing goods through longer routes at much higher cost because roads were cut off.

Another resident, Khaled Mohhamed, accused some vendors of stockpiling goods and said delayed salaries had worsened the impact of rising prices. Diaa al-Arshi described conditions in Taiz as “catastrophic”.

Taiz was previously under Houthi siege in 2015. The World Food Programme said last week that three quarters of Yemen's population, estimated by the UN at 42 million people, were unable to meet their basic food needs.