Deteriorating humanitarian conditions for displaced families as a result of the Houthi escalation

The Yemeni governor of Taiz, Nabil Shamsan, launched an urgent national and humanitarian call for action locally and internationally to break the siege imposed on the governorate for 12 years, warning of the worsening living conditions due to the scarcity of food, medicine and fuel, at a time when local authorities began emergency measures to control markets and secure basic supplies.

Shamsan called on the Yemeni government and the international community to take practical steps to stop Houthi attacks on civilians, open safe humanitarian corridors, and ensure the arrival of aid and the transfer of critical medical cases, calling on the international and regional community, the Security Council, and humanitarian and human rights organizations to take urgent action to end the suffering of the population.

The governor said, in an appeal to the media, that the military escalation exacerbated the humanitarian repercussions of the siege that has been ongoing for years. Pointing out that residents are facing increasing difficulties in obtaining their basic needs, in light of what he described as the escalation of Houthi attacks and attempts to subjugate the governorate.

He added that Taiz had paid heavy prices as a result of bombing, sniping, mines, displacement, and siege, warning that the crisis was now affecting food, medicine, and fuel, threatening the lives and livelihoods of residents.

Shamsan called on the state leadership and the government to take exceptional measures to support the governorate, secure its essential needs, and support hospitals and vital facilities. He also called on local authorities in other governorates, businessmen, chambers of commerce and civil society organizations to launch a national solidarity campaign and send urgent relief convoys.

The governor stressed that Taiz does not need more statements of concern; Rather, to practical positions that contribute to saving the population and opening roads and outlets, renewing the commitment of the local authority to work with state institutions to secure basic needs and enhance community cohesion.

He called on the people of the governorate, with their various political, social, youth, and women’s components, to organize peaceful marches in solidarity with the victims of the siege, to express their adherence to their right to life, security, freedom, and dignity, and to mobilize efforts to end their suffering.

Controlling markets and securing supplies

In parallel with the appeal, the Emergency Committee in Taiz held an expanded meeting, headed by Shamsan, to discuss the humanitarian and livelihood repercussions of the siege, and the difficulties facing the flow of basic goods, oil derivatives, and domestic gas into the city.

During the meeting, which included officials in the local authority, executive offices, and directorates, the governor stressed the necessity of monitoring the food supply situation and taking the necessary measures to ensure the continuity of supplies and reduce the burdens on citizens, while obligating merchants and agents to pay official prices and intensifying field supervision of the markets.

He praised the efforts of the Hayel Saeed Anam Group in bringing food supplies into the city, a step he said would contribute to enhancing supplies and alleviating the suffering of residents.

For his part, Governorate Undersecretary Rashad Al-Akhali reviewed the supply challenges. Pointing to the scarcity of some goods and the continuing difficulties in delivering oil and gas derivatives, and the measures taken to address imbalances and ensure the regularity of basic supplies and services.

Director of the Office of Planning and International Cooperation, Nabil Jamel, also presented the results of the work of the Emergency Committee, stressing the importance of strengthening control over markets, preventing exploitation of exceptional circumstances, and controlling prices in a way that protects citizens from additional burdens.

The local authority and the Emergency Committee confirmed continuing coordination with the concerned authorities and the private sector to secure the necessary supplies and limit the aggravation of the living crisis, at a time when calls are increasing for national and international action leading to lifting the siege and improving the access of aid and basic services to the city.

Taiz, which has remained one of the most prominent fronts in the Yemeni war, is facing the repercussions of years of siege and fighting, while recent developments place humanitarian needs and the dilemma of access to food, fuel and medical services at the forefront of concerns about the living conditions of the population.

The Yemeni Ministry of Public Health and Population warned of an imminent health catastrophe in the city of Taiz, with the continued siege imposed by the Houthis on the city, and the near exhaustion of medicines, solutions, medical supplies, and fuel in health facilities. Which puts the lives of thousands of patients at risk.

The ministry said, in a statement, that what Taiz is witnessing is not limited to a crisis in medical supplies, “but rather represents a direct threat to the lives of the sick, the wounded, children, pregnant women, and newborns, who depend on the continuation of health services to save their lives and alleviate their suffering.”

She stressed that “behind every hospital bed is a person waiting for treatment, and behind every distress call is a family fearing the loss of one of its members, and that every shortage of medicine or fuel may turn a treatable condition into an irreversible tragedy.”

The Ministry warned that “the continuation of the situation may lead to the cessation of emergency services, surgical operations, intensive care, dialysis, and newborn incubators, exposing the lives of the most vulnerable patients to serious risks.” Also, “the severe fuel shortage threatens to stop electricity generators and ambulances, and to disrupt the cold chains needed to preserve medicines and vaccines, which may deprive patients of life-saving care, and increase the possibility of serious complications and avoidable deaths.”

The Ministry stressed that patients should not pay the price of the conflict with their lives, and that hospitals should remain “a safe haven for everyone who needs treatment, and not turn into facilities unable to provide the simplest services.” Due to the interruption of supplies and inaccessibility.” She said, “Every hour of delay in the arrival of medicines, fuel, and medical supplies doubles the risks, narrows the chances of saving lives, and increases the suffering of patients and their families.”

Demands to open roads

The Yemeni Ministry of Health held the Houthis responsible for the blockade and obstruction of the arrival of supplies, and the resulting health and humanitarian repercussions, calling for the immediate lifting of the blockade and the opening of supply routes without delay or obstacles, ensuring the safe passage of the sick and wounded, ambulances and medical teams, and facilitating the arrival of humanitarian aid and health supplies to all facilities in need.

The Ministry called on the United Nations, humanitarian organizations, international partners, and bodies supporting the health sector to “take urgent and effective action commensurate with the scale of the threat, and work to deliver medicines, solutions, medical supplies, oxygen, and fuel immediately and safely to health facilities in the city of Taiz, in coordination with the Ministry and the health office in the governorate, while giving the highest priority to life-saving services and ensuring the continued operation of hospitals and health care centers.”

She appealed to the international community and humanitarian organizations “not to be satisfied with monitoring warnings or expressing concern, but rather to take practical and urgent steps to prevent the collapse of health services and protect civilians from the repercussions of a disaster that can be reduced if action is taken in a timely manner.”

The Ministry stressed that protecting patients, health facilities and their workers, and ensuring the arrival of medicines, medical supplies and fuel, “are not demands that can be postponed, but rather humanitarian responsibilities that require immediate action.” She stressed that “ensuring access to health care to those in need is necessary to protect the right to life and preserve human dignity.”

She said that saving Taiz begins with lifting the siege, opening supply routes, and ensuring that treatment reaches those who need it, stressing that a lack of medicine or a fuel outage cannot become a reason for the loss of a life that could have been saved.

A health crisis is expanding

For its part, the World Health Organization confirmed that health services in the governorates affected by the conflict are facing great difficulties in keeping pace with the escalating needs. She said about half of the health facilities there lacked partner support, with critical gaps remaining in frontline trauma care and mobile healthcare services.

The representative of the World Health Organization in Yemen, Sayed Jaafar Hussein, said that the situation is turning into a complex emergency, with health needs increasing at a time when resources are under enormous pressure.

He added that access to trauma care for seriously injured people within the first hour may determine their chances of survival. “However, the stabilization points on the Lahj coast and in Al Dhalea lack partners to operate them, while only a few agencies are able to provide trauma care, leaving critical gaps along the front lines.”

The organization stated that by last week, only less than one percent of the 198,000 people displaced by the recent escalation had received health services.

She added that hospitals are suffering from a shortage of “surgical supplies, anesthesia materials, blood bank supplies, and fuel, while methods of delivering basic supplies have become slower and more expensive.” Emergency maternity services have also stopped in both Ma’rib and Ras Al-Ara.”

As the leader of the health cluster in Yemen, the World Health Organization said that it is coordinating the response and acting as a “service provider of last resort” in cases where any partner is unable to provide services. It added that it is preparing to "enhance the capabilities of providing emergency care and treating injuries, responding to disease outbreaks, and providing basic health services and supplies, including maternal and newborn care services."

The increasing human losses incurred by the Houthi group on the fighting fronts were reflected in the activity of photography studios in the kidnapped Yemeni capital, Sana'a, and other cities under its control, with a high demand for designing and printing pictures of the dead, for use in funeral ceremonies and mobilization events, and for hanging them in the streets and public squares.

Photography workers told Asharq Al-Awsat that the group has intensified its requests in recent days to print photos of its dead in different sizes, explaining that thousands of photos have been prepared to meet the needs of funeral ceremonies and activities that it organizes in areas under its control.

They pointed out that the group distinguishes in photo sizes between military leaders and field supervisors, who are allocated large photos, and other members whose photos are printed in smaller sizes, a disparity that continues even after they are killed on the front lines.

This activity coincides with the continued fall of Houthi deaths on the fronts of Taiz, the Western Coast, Marib, Al-Jawf, Lahj, Al-Dhalea, and others, amid efforts to keep images of the dead present in the public space, and to use funeral ceremonies in military mobilization and calls for continued fighting.

The sources confirmed that the printing presses that the group used to rely on to prepare photos of its dead are facing increasing pressure, due to the high number of deaths and the continuing funeral ceremonies, which prompted them over the past ten days to expand the scope of printing and seek the help of private photography studios in Sanaa.

According to the sources, large numbers of pictures are printed in Sanaa before distributing them to the areas to which the dead belong, to be hung in the streets and public places, in conjunction with the organization of funeral processions and the announcement of the death of more members of the group.

She added that the group spent millions of riyals printing photos in private photography shops during the recent period, in light of the increasing demand for equipping them with multiple sizes and designs.

Residents' dissatisfaction

This move sparked dissatisfaction among residents in Sana'a, who denounced the allocation of funds and efforts to print and publish photos, considering that this reflects the priority of continuing military mobilization, rather than attention to the deteriorating living conditions and needs of families who lost their children.

Zaki, a worker in a photography studio on Sixtieth Street in Sanaa, said that the demand for designing and printing pictures of the group’s dead has increased during the recent period, explaining that the requests include pictures of different sizes, used in funeral ceremonies, and others prepared for billboards and banners that are hung in the streets and neighborhoods.

He added that preparing these images has become a noticeable part of the work of some studios. Especially with the increase in requests related to funeral ceremonies and events organized by the group.

For his part, “Noman” - a pseudonym for a resident of Sanaa - said that pictures of the dead have become present in a number of streets and neighborhoods, adding that every picture reminds of a family that lost one of its sons, and raises questions about the care and assistance these families receive after the end of the funeral ceremony.

Mobilization that goes beyond funeral

Observers believe that the expansion of printing pictures of dead Houthis goes beyond being a commercial activity related to funeral ceremonies, and reflects part of the group’s efforts to exploit its human losses to strengthen the discourse of mobilization and the continued mobilization of fighters, by keeping the dead present in the streets, squares, and public events.

They point out that turning images of the dead into mobilization tools raises questions about the fate of families who lost their sons on the battle fronts, and the extent to which they receive the necessary care and support. Especially when the dead person is the breadwinner of the family or one of its sources of income.

In light of the worsening burden of living and the deterioration of services, observers believe that spending on printing and distributing pictures of the dead reveals an imbalance in the group’s priorities, which continues to devote resources to mobilization activities, while the population faces stifling living crises, and the families of the dead suffer the repercussions of the loss of their sons.