Centrum Stosunków Międzynarodowych - 26 July 2016: UN calls for a humanitarian pause in Yemen’s Ta’izz

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator, Jamie McGoldrick, has called on Tuesday, July 26 for an immediate humanitarian pause in Ta’izz governorate in Yemen in order to forestall a humanitarian crisis precipitated by renewed clashes. McGoldrick has expressed particular concern over the ‘reinforcement of the closure on Taizz city’ and ‘the escalation of fights in the area of Al-Sarari’. The humanitarian pause will facilitate the evacuation of the wounded and the delivery of medicine and other humanitarian aid.

Ta’izz, Yemen’s third largest city, located in the South-East, has become an another hotspot on the civil war that has been raging with varying intensity for the last two years. The city is controlled by forces loyal to the president, Abd Rabu Mansur Hadi, but remains under siege by hostile Houthi forces. Clashes have also taken place around Ta’izz and both sides have accused each other of war crimes. The fighting in the city and its environs has started in April 2015 and continued despite the ceasefire in April 2016.

UN Humanitarian Coordinator statement (Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) >>
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The current fighting has its roots in a conflict that was lingering for over 10 years between the government and the Huthi movement based in the north. It has transformed into open warfare in 2014 after the ouster of president Ali Adb Allah Salih in late 2011 and the subsequent failure of power-sharing talks under his successor, Hadi. In September 2014 Huthi forces have take control of the capital, Sana’a, and continued their offensive, forcing Hadi to flee the country. However, the president has managed to retain control over parts of the country with help from Saudi Arabia.

The conflict has been internationalised and has become a part of the Saudi Arabia-Iran proxy war. Huthis are largely of Zaidi background (Zaidism being and offshoot of Shi’a Islam), receive aid from Iran and are allied with forces loyal to the ousted president, Salih. Saudi Arabia has intervened militarily in March 2015 out of fear of the possibility of Iranian presence in its direct neighbourhood. This intervention has resulted in a stalemate while worsening the humanitarian situation and resulting in civilian casualties due to airstrikes. Furthermore, al-Qa’idah has exploited the chaos in Yemen and has established control or presence in significant areas of the country. The UN-brokered ceasefire in April 2015 has decreased the intensity of clashes but failed to stop them completely, while both sides attempt to strengthen their bargaining position by military means.