Thousands of citizens in the city of Taiz gathered on Friday, calling for the United Nations to quickly lift the siege imposed on the city by the Houthi militia since 2015.

One of the squares located near the palace roundabout leading to the eastern entrance to the city closed by the militia witnessed a large crowd gathering to perform Friday prayers, protesting against the militia's continued siege and calling on the United Nations to quickly open the city's ports closed by the Houthis for years.

And the protesters denounced the UN and global silence towards the continuation of the siege imposed on Taiz, calling for international and humanitarian organizations to move to end travel restrictions, considering that condoning the continuation of the siege is a participation in the crime.

And the crowd of Taiz residents sent several messages through Friday preacher Abdul Khaliq Saif, director of the Culture Office in Taiz, where they demanded the leadership of the Presidential Council not to engage in dialogue with the Houthis before the siege is lifted and the ports are fully opened.

And Saif accused the United Nations of leniency with the Houthi militia and condoning its crimes against humanity in Taiz and in Yemen in general for more than seven years.

And the preacher called on the protesters to continue their demonstrations to press for their voice and their suffering to be conveyed to the whole world.

And repeatedly, the Coordination Council for Unions and Civil Society Organizations in Taiz Governorate called on the UN envoy Hans Grundberg to the opening of land ports and an end to the siege imposed on the city by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia for more than seven years.

And they made repeated calls to end the suffering of citizens, foremost of which are patients, women, children and the elderly who are still suffering as a result of this, and to bring in goods, especially necessary goods such as food, medicine and the rest of the goods, which are still prohibited from passing along the road due to the Houthi militia's continued intransigence to close this road, in addition to the mines that it planted on its sides.

While the authority of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia refuses to open the humanitarian corridors and crossings between the Yemeni Governorates, which the legitimate government considers a humanitarian demand and one of the priorities of the armistice. And the Houthi’s refusal comes despite the Arab Alliance’s suspension of airstrikes, the legitimate government allowing the flow of fuel to the port of Hodeidah, which is under the control of the militia, and coordinating the start of flights to and from Sanaa airport.

Although one month and twenty days have passed since the two-month UN armistice, Taiz is still besieged, even after the first civilian plane belonging to the Yemeni airline landed at Sana’a International Airport, which is controlled by the Houthi militia and transported passengers to Jordan, while Taiz is still living in a dire humanitarian situation due to the siege imposed on it by the Houthi rebel militia and coup.

And the Houthi military siege imposed on the city is considered one of the most important humanitarian files that testify to the criminality of the coup militias, and the first actual test to be placed before the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, after the resumption of commercial flights to Sanaa airport.

And Taiz Governorate pays a daily bill of hardship as a result of the siege imposed on it since 2015 in a way that contradicts all values, morals, customs, laws and divine laws.

The issue of the siege of Taiz was discussed in the dialogues and negotiations that took place between the Yemeni government and the Houthi militia, since the first negotiations held in December 2015 under the auspices of the United Nations in the Swiss city of Biel reaching the Stockholm Agreement in November 2018.

And the Houthi militia did not commit to lifting the siege every time, but rather prevented the entry of aid through the ports it controls, in light of widespread discontent with the position of the international organization.