Do You Know? More than 130,000 people have been displaced across Yemen so far this month, according to the UN refugee agency, adding to the 5.2 million already displaced by the country’s civil war.
What happened around Taiz?
Fighting has intensified around Taiz in south-western Yemen as Saudi-backed pro-government forces battle Houthi fighters for control of positions around the city.
The escalation followed the Houthis’ seizure of the strategic Red Sea port of Mokha, about 85km west of Taiz, on 10 September. The BBC reported that a ceasefire that had largely held for four years then unravelled.
Houthi forces moved down the Red Sea coast earlier this month, taking control of a key shipping chokepoint and territory overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a shipping corridor linking Europe and Asia. The developments contributed to a rise in oil prices as concerns grew about possible disruption to regional supplies, according to the report.
Why Taiz matters
Taiz is Yemen’s third-largest city and its cultural capital, with close to a million people. It lies between Houthi-controlled areas in northern Yemen and government-held areas in the south, and is surrounded by front lines in several directions.
Government forces hold the city centre, while Houthi positions lie to its north and east. The most intense recent fighting has been on the western approaches, where the sides are contesting high ground overlooking the route south.
The BBC reported that securing those areas could make it harder for government forces to retake Mokha.
Front-line danger for civilians
Homes on the mountain slopes near Taiz have been abandoned after families fled the fighting. Residents described incoming and outgoing fire, mortar attacks and drone activity.
“I am terrified,” a resident identified only as Ali told the BBC. He said he had sent his children to a displacement camp while remaining with relatives to care for their goats.
At a hospital in Taiz, the BBC saw fighters and civilians being brought into an intensive care unit where every bed was occupied. The report described 12-year-old Ghana Nabeel as unconscious after shrapnel struck her head while she was herding goats. Her family said an incoming Houthi mortar had landed nearby; the account was not independently verified in the report.
Displacement rises
Families fleeing Mokha and nearby villages were arriving at the al-Monig displacement camp, about 20km south of Taiz. Camp officials told the BBC that 200 families had arrived in the previous 10 days.
One woman, identified by a pseudonym, said she had fled Mokha with her husband and five children. Another displaced woman, Fatma Mohammed Saleh, said she had crawled for two days after fighting reached her village before a motorcyclist took her to the camp.
On 22 September, the UN refugee agency said more than 130,000 people had been displaced across Yemen during the month. It warned that another 100,000 could be forced from their homes over the following three months.
Who is involved?
- Houthi forces: They are using drones alongside other weapons in their latest offensive, according to the BBC report.
- Yemeni government forces: They hold central Taiz and are receiving weapons from a coalition led by Saudi Arabia.
- Saudi Arabia: Its military has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Houthi positions on the Red Sea coast, the report said.
- Iran: Saudi Arabia, Western countries and UN experts say Iran has provided the Houthis with weapons, funding and military advice. Iran has previously denied supplying weapons and said it supports the group politically.
What may happen next?
Contacts on the Houthi side told the BBC they were consolidating troops and preparing for a major offensive. Government forces said they were aware of the preparations and were preparing as well.
The report said the opposing forces were contesting high ground near Taiz, while displaced families continued arriving at camps. The extent of any further advance or counteroffensive was not established in the report.
Bottom Line
Taiz has become a key battleground in Yemen’s renewed escalation. The struggle over approaches to the city and the Red Sea coast is increasing pressure on civilians, with hospitals receiving casualties and tens of thousands of people displaced in September alone.
Source
This report is based on information published by BBC World.
