Time ‘running out’ to reach Yemen’s Taiz amid deepening crisis, UN says

After nearly three weeks of a Houthi siege, Taiz has been cut off from supplies and humanitarian access is becoming increasingly difficult, the UN warns. The Houthis have encircled the city since early October and blocked the road to Aden, the interim capital of Yemen’s internationally recognised government. More than 800,000 people are cut off from aid, about three-quarters of whom depend on humanitarian assistance; trucked water costs three times as much and cooking gas is scarce. Local aid groups are still keeping water pumps and hospitals running with their remaining supplies, but OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke warns that time is running out.