HOUTHI SIEGE WORSENS FOOD SHORTAGES IN YEMEN'S TAIZ

Government forces are encircled by Houthi forces in Taiz, Yemen, where blockades on road routes have worsened existing shortages of food and other supplies, Al Jazeera reported. The United Nations has warned that stocks of wheat and flour in the city could run out within less than three weeks. Fuel has also become scarce, according to the report, making it harder for residents to cook and transport goods. Local people are struggling to feed their families as prices rise and supplies dwindle, the report said.

A UN spokesperson described the situation in Taiz as "devastating" during a briefing reported by UN News, saying that rising tensions in the city are driving up food prices sharply and causing shortages across the population. The city, in southwestern Yemen, has also seen a cholera outbreak, according to UN News, adding further strain on residents already coping with the effects of the siege. UN News reported that aid cuts have compounded the difficulties facing civilians in the city, limiting the resources available to respond to the combined pressures of conflict, disease and food insecurity.

The UN has not set out how it intends to address the imminent depletion of wheat and flour stocks, according to the available reporting. Al Jazeera's report did not specify what steps, if any, the warring parties plan to take to ease the blockade on routes into Taiz. UN News said the humanitarian situation in the city remains under close watch, citing the combination of siege conditions, disease and funding shortfalls. No timeline for a resolution to the encirclement has been given in the reporting.