The World Food Programme, a United Nations agency, announced on Friday that hunger in Yemen is rising at an unprecedented rate, and with the intensification of conflicts, a large number of people are no longer able to meet their food needs.
Escalation of Conflicts and Its Consequences
This conflict represents the most serious tension between the Houthis of Yemen and Saudi Arabia since the ceasefire in 2022. Matthew Hollingworth, the Executive Director of the World Food Programme, noted that within weeks, an unprecedented number of people in government-controlled areas will lose the ability to meet their food needs. According to him, on average, in every four-person household, three have to skip some of their meals.
The United Nations also reported that the escalation of conflicts in recent months has displaced about 150,000 people. The population of government-controlled areas in Yemen is estimated to be around 10 million. Intense fighting continues in southwestern Yemen between the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces, with approximately 80 combatants from both sides reported killed in the past 24 hours.
Strategic Situation of Taiz
Fighting around the strategic city of Taiz has intensified and has spread to parts of the heights overlooking the coastal areas of the Red Sea. Taiz, the third-largest city in Yemen and its cultural capital, has a population of nearly one million and is strategically located between Houthi-controlled areas in the north and government-controlled areas in the south.
Government forces control the center of Taiz, while Houthi positions are located to the north and east of the city. After ousting the government from Sana'a in 2015, the Houthis attempted to capture Taiz as well, but local forces pushed them back from most parts of the city. A military spokesperson for the Yemeni government announced that today, government fighter jets carried out 20 airstrikes on Houthi positions.
Complete Houthi control over Taiz could increase their influence along the Red Sea coast and facilitate access to southern Yemen and Aden for this group. The resumption of battles could also alter the configuration of areas controlled by the warring parties and impact the security of shipping routes in the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.
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