17/10/2026
Human Rights Statement on the Continued Siege of Taiz City and its Humanitarian and Health Repercussions
The Justice for Rights & Development Org (JRDO) is following with deep concern the ongoing siege imposed on Taiz City, alongside the arbitrary restrictions that obstruct the freedom of movement of civilians and impede the unhindered flow of essential supplies. This situation has precipitated an unprecedented escalation in humanitarian, living, and health crises, compounded by acute difficulties in procuring basic foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, potable water, fuel, and domestic gas—thereby posing grave threats to the lives, well-being, and inherent dignity of the civilian population.
The gravity of these repercussions is further accentuated by the warnings issued by the Public Health and Population Office in Taiz Governorate concerning the severe impairment of medical services. This stems from critical shortages of essential medicines, medical consumables, and the fuel necessary to sustain the operation of hospitals and health facilities. Consequently, the persistence of these dire conditions threatens an imminent collapse of critical health infrastructure, including emergency care, surgical interventions, intensive care units, dialysis centers, and neonatal incubators, thereby eviscerating the capacity of the health sector to respond to the urgent needs of patients and the wounded.
In this context, the Organization commends the position of the European Union Delegation to Yemen and international human rights entities calling for the lifting of the siege. The Organization strongly endorses the demands voiced by the European Union calling upon the Houthi forces to lift their siege imposed on the city and to immediately allow the unhindered entry of food, water, medicine, and fuel.
Furthermore, the Organization takes careful note of the formal statement issued by the Yemen Bar Association – Taiz Branch regarding the egregious violations and catastrophic humanitarian fallout resulting from the siege. The Organization underscores the absolute necessity of addressing these profound risks with rigorous legal and humanitarian accountability, and of enacting prompt, concrete measures to guarantee the protection of civilians and secure unconditional access for vital necessities and medical supplies.
The Organization reaffirms that the protection of civilians and the secure delivery of humanitarian relief and indispensable provisions constitute foundational obligations enshrined in International Humanitarian Law, notably the 1949 Geneva Conventions and pertinent customary rules. International Humanitarian Law strictly prohibits the starvation of civilian populations as a method of warfare, mandates the preservation of objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, and obligates all parties to facilitate the rapid, safe, and unimpeded transit of humanitarian assistance to all individuals in need, in strict accordance with applicable legal frameworks.
Accordingly, the Organization calls upon all relevant parties—first and foremost the Houthi forces—to respond immediately to international and local demands to dismantle the unlawful restrictions impeding civilian mobility and the entry of essential commodities into Taiz City. This entails the immediate opening of all principal roads and transit corridors to facilitate population movement, the commercial and humanitarian transit of food, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, fuel, water, and other vital commodities, as well as ensuring the uninterrupted functioning of public health and civic services devoid of unjustified impediments.
Furthermore, the Organization urgently appeals to the United Nations Secretary-General, the United Nations Security Council, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), relevant international mechanisms, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and specialized UN agencies to take decisive, immediate action—each within their respective mandates and spheres of competence—to monitor the escalating humanitarian and health repercussions of the siege, reinforce the monitoring and documentation of human rights violations, and intensify diplomatic and humanitarian efforts to compel the parties to open roads and crossings. Such efforts must secure safe and regular delivery of humanitarian and medical aid, while instituting robust measures to shield the population from further humanitarian and health deterioration.
In conclusion, the Organization stresses that the persistent deprivation of the civilian population of their fundamental life-sustaining necessities, alongside the exposure of vital health services to the peril of total cessation, constitutes a severe violation demanding an immediate domestic and international response commensurate with the gravity of the crisis. Safeguarding the rights of civilians and ensuring their unhindered access to sustenance, medicine, and healthcare is an unyielding legal and humanitarian imperative that brooks no delay.
Issued by:
Justice for Rights & Development Org (JRDO)