SANAA, Yemen — The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Yemen said Saturday that they are seeking ways to ensure unconditional access to Taiz, a city of about 25,000 residents besieged by Shiite rebels who control the capital and have been fighting an internationally recognized government.
“Only a few shops are open. Food and other basic goods needed to survive are in short supply. Basic services are scarce, including access to water and fuel,” U.N. humanitarian coordinator Jamie McGoldrick said in Sanaa, the capital, after a visit to Taiz.
“Humanitarian access to three districts within the city has been difficult for many months,” while hospitals haven’t been spared the violence, McGoldrick said.
Taiz has been besieged for months by Shiite rebels known as Houthis who have been indiscriminately shelling the war-devastated city and blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid, according to residents and aid groups.
World Food Program Deputy Director Adham Musallam said it managed to deliver enough food supplies for 3,000 families in the city.
Taiz, which lies on the border between northern and southern Yemen, could be a major turning point in Yemen’s civil war.