Yemen’s Taiz under siege again as food and fuel prices rise

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Yemen’s city of Taiz is facing a renewed siege after Houthi advances in surrounding areas closed key roads, reviving fears among residents who remember the group’s earlier blockade of the city in 2015-2016. The article says the latest fighting, centered in Taiz governorate and along the Red Sea coast, has cut off major routes linking Taiz to government-held territory and to other parts of the city’s supply network.

According to the report, the closure has quickly affected daily life in Taiz. Fuel has become scarcer, streets have grown quieter, and prices for basic goods have risen as residents rush to buy food, water and other essentials. Al Jazeera says the black-market price of petrol has increased sharply, while traders and locals describe higher costs for wheat, flour, vegetables and fruit. The article also notes that some residents accuse merchants of hoarding supplies, although the published text does not provide independent verification of those claims.

The piece places the current crisis in broader context by noting that Taiz has long been a contested city in Yemen’s civil war, with access routes repeatedly opened and closed depending on battlefield developments. Local officials and rights advocates quoted by Al Jazeera warn that prolonged restrictions could deepen humanitarian suffering, especially for patients, children, and displaced people, and make it harder to reach hospitals and move goods. The article says local authorities have appealed to the United Nations for help.