‘We expect war to reach the city soon’: Yemenis stockpile as Houthis advance on Taiz

Being besieged means Taiz is effectively surrounded, with routes into the city closed or controlled during fighting. Supplies cannot move in normally, so food, fuel and other essentials are disappearing. This matters because about 1 million residents are trapped in a city where humanitarian access is also restricted.

Ali Abdulsamed visited more than a dozen shops before finding flour at more than twice its usual price. He sometimes walks up to 10km because petrol and bus fares are unaffordable. His mobile repair shop has lost its steady stream of customers, while explosions and gunfire sound throughout the day.

Schools, universities and many public institutions closed on 4 October. Streets and parks are nearly empty, and residents stay home when possible. The blocked road to Rawa’s ancestral village removes an escape route, leaving families to stock supplies and wait as fighting approaches.

Residents are storing food, water and fuel because they expect the war to reach Taiz soon. The offensive has already disrupted routes and humanitarian assistance. If fighting intensifies, shops may close, transport may stop and families may be forced to remain indoors for a long time.

The rush began after the Houthis advanced rapidly, giving people little time to prepare. Crowds gathered at grocery stores and gas stations. Abdulsamed sold his wife’s gold ring to buy food because he had no savings. Rawa said families need necessities at home while they wait for the crisis to pass.

This preparation is both practical and desperate. It helps households endure possible isolation, but it also increases pressure on remaining supplies. Most food items had disappeared by 3 October, and fuel and bus fares had become too expensive. Residents now face an uncertain wait near the frontlines.

Fighting denied vital assistance to 800,000 people in Taiz, according to the UN World Food Programme. The city has about 1 million residents. That means the disruption affected a very large share of the population, not just people near the frontlines.

Taiz already had some of Yemen’s highest levels of food insecurity. When routes closed, supplies of food, fuel and other basic goods were cut off. Humanitarian assistance was also denied, leaving residents more dependent on shops that were quickly running out of stock.

The immediate result was a citywide struggle for essentials. People queued at stores and gas stations, while some walked long distances or sold possessions to buy food. With schools and institutions closed and fighting approaching, the loss of assistance increased the risk that families would face prolonged shortages inside the city.

When routes are cut off, fewer goods reach the city. When many people rush to buy at once, remaining supplies disappear even faster. Sellers can charge more for scarce items, while families with little money must choose between essentials, transport and other needs.

A 25kg bag of wheat flour cost more than twice its usual price when Abdulsamed finally found one. Petrol more than doubled in one week. He could not afford fuel or buses, so he sometimes walked 10km a day. He also sold his wife’s gold ring because he lacked savings.

These choices show how shortages spread beyond shop shelves. Empty stores reduce food options, expensive fuel limits movement and high fares cut access to work and markets. Crowds continue to compete for supplies, while residents prepare to stay indoors. The longer routes remain blocked, the harder it becomes for ordinary households to replace what they use.

Taiz matters because it sits at a crossroads between northern and southern Yemen. It has never fallen out of Yemeni government control since the civil war began in 2014. For the Houthis, capturing the city would achieve a long-sought military goal and reshape access across the country.

The city also stands between Houthi-held areas and Aden, where Yemen’s government is based. The article says that if Taiz falls, Aden will be cut off. This makes the city more than a local battlefield. Control of its roads could separate the government’s seat from other areas still connected to it.

The Houthi offensive was halted at Taiz by rugged terrain, local fighters and reinvigorated government forces. Those forces announced a counteroffensive two weeks earlier. The city has not fallen, but residents fear the Houthis cannot be held back forever, keeping both the military and humanitarian crisis acute.

The article describes the Houthis as Iran-allied rebels and the opposing side as Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. They are fighting for control of territory and key cities during Yemen’s civil war. The Houthis launched a campaign toward the Red Sea coast and made rapid gains.

The Houthis seized more than 1,000km of territory in a month and gained control of the Bab al-Mandab strait, described as a vital shipping lane. They also launched attacks on Riyadh airport. Saudi Arabia responded by supporting Yemeni government forces, while rebel-controlled Sana’a was hit in return.

Their advance stopped at Taiz, where local fighters and government forces defended the city’s rugged terrain. The government forces later announced a counteroffensive. The fighting has revived after four years of relative calm, and its effects now reach civilians through blocked routes, shortages and denied aid.

War disrupts food security through several linked steps. Fighting blocks transport routes and makes shops, markets and aid deliveries unsafe. With fewer goods entering, supplies shrink. When humanitarian assistance is also denied, families must rely on their own money and whatever stores remain.

Taiz shows this process clearly. The Houthi advance and government closures cut off food and fuel. Crowds rushed to buy essentials, causing many items to disappear. Abdulsamed searched more than a dozen shops, paid over twice the usual price for flour and sold a gold ring. He also walked because fuel and bus fares were too costly.

The consequences continue beyond empty shelves. Schools and institutions closed, work and traffic slowed, and residents prepared to stay indoors. Taiz already had high food insecurity, so the new blockade deepened existing hardship. Unless routes reopen and assistance reaches the city, families face longer shortages, higher costs and fewer safe choices.