Taiz electricity and water stations shut amid fuel blockade, governor says

Electricity and water stations, along with waste collection services, have shut down in Yemen’s Taiz province because the Houthis are preventing fuel from entering the city, Governor Nabil Shamsan said on Friday.

In a statement posted on “Facebook”, Shamsan said the Houthis had besieged Taiz and closed all roads leading to it for 15 days.

Hospitals in the city are unable to provide medical care because of shortages of medicines and medical supplies, he said.

Shamsan warned that conditions could worsen for about 4 million displaced people and residents of Taiz, as relief organizations are unable to reach them.

Yemen has been in conflict since the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and several other provinces in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year in support of the internationally recognized government.

Tensions have escalated since July. Taiz remains a major front line, with government forces and the Houthis engaging in repeated clashes around the city.

Since Oct. 5, government forces have been conducting a military offensive called “Dawn of Yemen”, aimed at restoring state institutions from Houthi control and retaking Sanaa.