The number of displaced people in Yemen’s southern Taiz governorate has surpassed 100,000 amid intensifying battles between government forces and Ansar Allah (the Houthis), while dozens of patients remain stranded and unable to return to their areas by land or sea. The displaced are living in camps lacking basic necessities, including one camp located 40 kilometres from the front lines.
Houthis advance along western coast fronts
Battles have intensified on more than one front, particularly along the western coast, where the Houthis advanced and seized the cities of Hays and al-Khokha, the last strongholds of government forces in Hudaydah governorate. They also took control of four districts in Taiz governorate, most notably al-Mokha and Dhu Bab, reaching the Bab al-Mandab area.
The ground attacks launched by the Houthis at the beginning of September last year were preceded by an escalation involving missiles and drones targeting areas under the control of the Yemeni government, along with attacks directed at Saudi Arabia and its vessels in the Red Sea. Among those stranded is Amina, a woman in her sixties who travelled more than 400 kilometres by sea from northern Hajjah governorate to Taiz for two surgical operations.
Stranded people call for return and humanitarian care
Her return journey became more complicated after the Houthis took control of the western coast and targeted maritime traffic, leaving her stranded far from home. Amina and 38 other people stranded in Taiz, which is under a Houthi blockade, are calling for humanitarian aid to enable them to return to their homes as soon as possible, as well as access to medical treatment and food.
At al-Ghazaliya camp, located 40 kilometres from the battlefronts, Taghreed is facing harsh living conditions after fleeing the fighting along the western coast. She travelled on foot without food with her five orphaned children and moved with them between four camps, while being unable to secure treatment for her two-year-old sick son.
Nabil Jamel, director of the Taiz Office of Planning and International Cooperation, said the governorate was facing a critical situation as the number of displaced people surpassed 100,000. He added that humanitarian interventions remained weak and did not match the scale of the disaster, despite the presence of around 20 organisations, as the Houthis’ military escalation towards the city centre continued.
