Still today the only way out of the city is to the Souhwest, through Hujariyya and across the mountains to Aden. For indeed, the rebels are entrenched in the mountains overlooking Taiz, blocking the Eastern and Western accesses. In 2016, after having partially lifted the siege imposed by the Houthists from the highlands to the North with the support of the coalition’s air strikes, the city dwellers remained under the yoke of the various armed factions.

1 Here, only a limited share of the destruction can be attributed to the coalition’s air raids. The civilians, most of whom oppose the rebellion, are the main victims of the fighting, especially from snipers but also booby traps. Buildings are so marked by bullet holes, mortar shells and bomb shrapnel that the few foreign reporters who have been there describe what they saw as a “lunar” spectacle. Several videos shot from drones, evocative of the worst Syrian examples, attest to this. For a long time, Houthi rebel forces were stationed in the heart of the city.Īfter four years of fierce fighting, Taiz is no doubt the city which has suffered the worse destructions. Even before this coalition came into being, the city suffered early in 2015 Houthist incursions to repress peaceful demonstrations against their seizure of power in Sana and invasion of South Yemen.

These are backed by an Arab military coalition led by two countries which are particularly active on the Yemenite theatre of operations, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The country’s third-largest city is cut in half by a battle line which separates the Houthists from their adversaries made up of various groups and factions loyal to President Hadi. While media coverage and diplomatic concern for the conflict have been growing, Taiz seems to have been neglected. The war in Yemen is often referred to as a forgotten war when in fact it is a central concern for the major international and regional powers.

Battle in the forgotten city