UN warns that 20-day Houthi siege is starving Taiz of aid

For three weeks now, Houthi forces have encircled Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, preventing the flow of food, medicine and other vital aid. The blockade blocks the highway linking Taiz to Aden, where the internationally recognised government operates from. In Geneva, OCHA warned that without safe, sustained humanitarian access, the population faces a worsening crisis.

Spokesperson Jens Laerke reported that the siege has cut water output in half and caused the price of truck-delivered water to rise roughly threefold. Residents, already dependent on these supplies, are confronting severe shortages. The UN is calling for immediate measures to reopen routes and restore aid deliveries.