Taiz Under Siege: A Brief Respite in Supplies Undermined by a Complete Closure of Roads

Nov - 11 - 2026   Download The Version

Key Findings of the Fourth Briefing:

• Temporary respite: On 31 October, the sale of petrol through official fuel stations began in Taiz city at a price of YER 34,500 per 20-litre container (YER 1,725 per litre), following weeks of dependence on the black market, where prices had reached YER 55,000 on 24 October. However, distribution remained subject to quotas, and the respite did not last a week before the crisis returned.
• Complete closure: On 2 November, the UN spokesperson announced that "all roads leading into the city are now closed due to fighting, and no commercial supplies are getting through." On 6 November, the Karba–Al-Suhi road, which connects Lahj and Taiz, was closed again after having been reopened for only two hours. The Hajjah Al-Abd road, meanwhile, had remained closed for more than a month.
• Goods are now entering from the opposite direction at double the price: The Director General of the Taiz Office of Industry and Trade reported that the flow of food, fuel, and LPG had "completely stopped", except for quantities arriving via the Al-Hawban–Al-Barh–Al-Bireen route at prices prevailing in areas under Houthi control, effectively double the prevailing prices in the city.
• A significant supply gap in Taiz markets: Official data reviewed by the SEMC show supply gaps of 88% for rice, 61% for cooking oil and ghee, and 100% for meat, fish, and cheese during the period from 1 to 20 October. The gaps also reached 96% for petrol, 98% for diesel, and 97% for domestic LPG.
• Development projects suspended: More than 15,000 households have lost their sources of income, 19 development projects have been suspended, and 15 agreements with INGOs have been disrupted. Twenty-one UN staff members have left, the UN office in the city has closed, and local revenues have virtually disappeared.
• Essential services on the brink of collapse: Water coverage in the city has fallen from 30% to 8.2%, approximately 250,000 people have lost access to basic healthcare, and 12 hospitals are at risk of closure. More than 1,400 cases of acute watery diarrhoea and suspected cholera were recorded in a single week, while 550–600 tonnes of waste accumulate daily, as the Houthi group continues to prevent waste collection trucks from reaching the designated disposal site outside the city.