The Yemeni City of Taiz Is on the Brink of Famine, the U.N. Warns

The U.N. warned on Monday that residents of the city of Taiz in Yemen are facing imminent starvation.

A U.N. World Food Programme convoy carrying enough rations to feed 3,000 families for a month arrived on Saturday at the embattled city, which is under siege by Houthi rebels. The humanitarian agency has delivered aid to parts of Taiz since December, but heavy fighting restricts access to some districts.

The city is a significant battleground in the nearly yearlong conflict between the government of President Abdel Rabbo Mansour Hadi, which is supported by a Saudi-led coalition, and Houthi forces, which have ties to Iran. Humanitarian groups have called for investigations into human-rights abuses by all sides in the conflict.

About 7.6 million people in Yemen are suffering from severe food insecurity as a result of the war and are urgently in need of humanitarian assistance.

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Write to Mark Rivett-Carnac at mark.rivett-carnac@timeasia.com.