Houthi Siege of Taiz Is a War Crime of Civilian Starvation, HRW Warns

Human rights investigators and United Nations officials have issued an urgent warning regarding the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Yemen’s third-largest city, Taizz (Taiz). In a report, Human Rights Watch (HRW) declared that the Houthi movement's sustained blockade and deliberate attacks on essential supply routes may amount to the war crime of using starvation as a weapon of war.

The warning follows incidents where Houthi forces used explosives to destroy portions of the Hayjat al-Abd road—the primary remaining entry corridor connecting Taiz to southern supply lines in Aden. The destruction of this highway cut off vital aid, driving food and fuel prices up while pushing local healthcare facilities toward total collapse.

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH TAIZ SIEGE MONITOR

Operational & Legal Dimension	Intelligence Context & Investigation Assessment
Investigating Bodies	Human Rights Watch (HRW) & UN Agencies: Investigations released by Human Rights Watch alongside urgent warnings from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (Volker Türk) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Target Location & Encirclement	Taizz (Taiz) City, Yemen: Yemen’s third-largest city, under severe multi-year siege by Ansar Allah (Houthi forces) that dramatically intensified following renewed 2026 military offensives.
Alleged War Crime & Legal Basis	Starvation as a Method of Warfare: Allegations citing Article 14 of Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute, specifically regarding the deliberate destruction of objects indispensable to civilian survival.
Key Destroyed Supply Route	Hayjat al-Abd Highway: Houthi forces used explosives to destroy critical sections of the Hayjat al-Abd mountain pass—the primary remaining arterial route connecting Aden to Taizz for commercial and humanitarian supplies.
Affected Civilian Population	600,000+ Civilians Isolated: Over 600,000 residents inside the besieged city faced complete cut-offs from WFP operations, humanitarian aid, and essential transport networks.
Critical Systemic Shortages	Severe Humanitarian Deprivation: Critical shortfalls in clean drinking water (water trucks blocked), hospital generator diesel (forcing facilities like the Yemeni-Swedish Hospital to shut down incubators), food, and oxygen.

1. Severing Supply Corridors and Intentional Deprivation

The siege of Taiz, which has restricted civilian movement since 2015, entered a critical phase following targeted military attacks on transport infrastructure.

HRW documented eyewitness testimony and verified satellite imagery confirming that Houthi fighters dynamited sections of the Hayjat al-Abd road. Because this road was the last operational conduit for trucks delivering commercial groceries, bottled water, and medical aid, its destruction severely impacted the city's internal economy.

• Fuel Dependency: According to local humanitarian coordinators, the crisis in Taiz is driven largely by fuel shortages. Without fuel, water pumps cannot extract groundwater, and transport costs for basic food supplies have more than doubled.

• Healthcare Breakdown: Medical facilities across Taiz have shut down essential departments due to lack of electricity, leaving intensive care units and kidney dialysis centers unable to operate.

Houthi Forces Target & Dynamite Hayjat al-Abd Civilian Highway

Primary Supply Route Connecting Aden to Taiz Completely Severed

Fuel & Food Transportation Costs Double; Hospital Systems Face Collapse

HRW Cites Violations of Geneva Conventions Prohibiting Starvation Warfare

2. Legal Analysis: Starvation as a Method of Warfare

Under Article 14 of Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions, using the starvation of civilians as a method of combat is strictly prohibited.

International humanitarian law defines starvation not merely as the withholding of food, but as the intentional deprivation of objects indispensable to civilian survival—including drinking water, fuel, crops, and medical supplies.

Legal & Operational Parameter	Reported Human Rights Findings	International Law Classification
Highway Destruction	Bombing of Hayjat al-Abd civilian transit route.	Unlawful Attack: Destruction of indispensable civilian objects.
Blockade of Aid	Over 600,000 residents cut off from aid.	Violation of Relief Rules: Obstruction of humanitarian aid.
Interference with Water	Disruption to municipal wells and delivery trucks.	Deprivation of Essentials: Denial of clean drinking water.
Overall Legal Status	Systematic siege targeting civilian survival.	War Crime: Starvation as a method of warfare.

3. Humanitarian Demands and Global Response

United Nations officials and human rights advocacy groups have called for an immediate halt to hostilities around transportation corridors into Taiz. HRW urged Houthi authorities to open all civilian roads, allow unimpeded entry of humanitarian relief, and grant aid workers safe passage.

Without immediate restoration of supply routes, international agencies warn that malnutrition rates among children and vulnerable groups in Taiz will worsen sharply in the coming weeks.