Relief Humanitarian Coalition issues new report on Yemen’s humanitarian situation in Taiz during February 2017

Friday, March 3, 2017

The humanitarian relief coalition in Taiz, middle of Yemen, on Thursday issued a new report on the humanitarian situation in the province during February 2017, including the material and human casualties as well as the health and educational situation in the province.

As reported by HRC, at least 51 civilians were killed, while 255 others were injured- some of them have sustained serious injuries-, including women and children, during February due to indiscriminate sniping and shelling of populated areas.

Based on the report, men were mostly affected, as 49 men have been killed and 142 others have been injured, while children came at the second place; a child was killed and eleven others were wounded. However, only a woman was killed and two others have been injured, some of them are suffering from serious injuries.

Damage and destruction:

Seven houses have been blown up in the town of Tubaisha’h in Jabal Habashi to the southwest of the city, while 25 public and private properties have been damaged- some of them have been completely destroyed-, the coalition stated.

The HRC emphasized the city is still suffering from total disruption of basic services such as water, electricity and sanitation in addition to the absence of most health services and medicines and lack of access to the city of Taiz by relief organizations especially since the siege has been partially broken from the west direction in mid-August.

Forced displacement:

Based on the coalition’s report, about 450 families have forcibly been displaced from the village of Tubaisha’h and neighboring villages near to al-Wafi directorate in Jabal Habashi.

Some of these families have settled in Yarmouk School and its surroundings located in Ed Dahi neighborhood to the west of the city of Taiz, while the rest has been hosted by different families in many districts of Taiz. They have dispersed as follows:

200 families remained in Ed Dahi, 55 families have come to the village of Aqaqah, 50 families went to Bear Pasha, 10 families are in al-Haseb neighborhood, ten families are in al-Dhabab villages, 20 families are in Mellat village, 20 families in al-Ashu’b district, 10 families in al-Mafraq, 20 families are in al-Houmairah area, five families are in al-Ramadah, 20 families are in Bani Isa district, 40 families are Wadi al-Qadi district in the middle of the city.

These families have been displaced from the villages of al-Wafi, Bani Khailah, Wahr, Tubaisha’h, Qushaibah, al-Aeinain, Hejermin, al-Quba, Assafaa, al-Jubail, Molyah and Duma, as the report mentioned.

In response to the distress call sent by HRC in coordination with the sub-committee of relief in the province with the aim of helping the displaced families, many associations and institutions, which are members of HRC, topped by CSSW, partners and employees in the coalition have initiated to provide 105 shelter units for 105 families in Yarmouk School. In addition, they have also distributed 100 food baskets.

On the other hand, Coordination Council of Government Hospitals in Taiz expressed its readiness to supply all vaccines and medicines needed by the displaced people, while "Fajr al-Amal” foundation has donated a half million Yemeni riyals in support of a central kitchen for the displaced families in Yarmouk School. 

Droop al-Noor Foundation has also provided 150 families with a total of 150 food baskets added to 5200 bottles of mineral water presented to 260 households by Tawassol Foundation and 131 food baskets provided by al-Hikmah Association.

Relief aid

While the city of Taiz is still living a very critical situation in light of the ongoing war in several areas of the province, exacerbated by the blockade being imposed on it and hundreds of thousands of citizens inside for nearly two years, the city may be on the verge, if not worse, of humanitarian disaster as a result of lack of flow of humanitarian aid to the city, which needs urgent relief intervention in order to save lives of citizens. 

To complicate matters further, staff salaries have not been paid for more than five months, despite all the promises made by the government in order to put an end to this dilemma the Houthi militia and its close ally the ousted Saleh has caused. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, "Stephen O'Brien," had been prevented from entering the city of Taiz in on 28 February after he was scheduled to visit the city to see the humanitarian situation there.

The coalition has expressed regret because Mr. Stephen O'Brien decided not to visit the city of Taiz and go back to the city of Ibb, while his visit very important to look closely at the humanitarian situation in the city and the destruction wrought by the war. Moreover, it has also shown deep regret for arbitrary actions faced by the United Nations teams.

Despite the fact that the siege has been partially broken from the west direction since mid-August, the city has never received any adequate assistance from international organizations in proportion to the population and the victims.

Furthermore, there has been no enough response to calls and appeals launched by the city. Only Core organization has distributed 11283 food baskets in Cairo district in the city center funded by the World Food Program.

In January of this year, The HRC had issued a comprehensive map of urgent humanitarian needs for those affected and displaced in different areas of Taiz province, and this detailed map was handed over to the concerned authorities, topped by the Higher Committee for Relief in Yemen, and the Subcommittee in the province as well as international relief organizations.