Taiz Fuel Prices Quadruple as City Is Cut Off

Yemen’s third-largest city, Taiz, lost its remaining land connections in early October, isolating its roughly one million residents from the rest of the country. The blockade has triggered a sharp rise in the cost of basic necessities, forcing families to ration food and water while medical facilities struggle to maintain operations.

The primary route for goods, the Taiz-Al-Turbah-Aden Road, was severed on October 4 when Houthi forces took the town of al-Turbah. The following day, government-loyal forces closed the eastern al-Houban crossing, citing attempts by Houthi forces to enter the area. With these routes blocked, the United Nations warned on October 20 that security issues and road closures were preventing vital supplies from reaching the city. The UN noted that prices for available food and fuel had more than doubled, while local water production fell by half.

Fuel stations in Taiz have remained closed since October 5, compounding the economic strain. Current market prices show a 20-litre container of petrol costing 120,000 riyals, or approximately $77, compared to 30,000 riyals a year prior. Diesel for the same volume now costs 90,000 riyals, up from 46,000 riyals. A standard cooking gas cylinder has risen from 11,400 riyals to 40,000 riyals. Bus fares have increased by 150 percent, jumping from 200 riyals to 500 riyals per ride.

Yousef Farhan, a 39-year-old father of four, lost his primary income source when shelling forced him to close his vegetable cart. The family now lives in a school in the Wadi al-Qadi zone and cooks over firewood instead of gas. Farhan stated that the suspension of the school stopped his trade, and the siege halted many other jobs, leaving his family of seven, including his sister and her child, dependent on daily survival. Sayyun Burhan, 40, faces similar challenges as her husband’s health declines and work at his local store ends. She reported that the cost of water delivered by tankers has roughly tripled since the fighting escalated.

The shortage of diesel has disrupted water pumps and hospital generators. Local authorities indicated that access restrictions are preventing tankers from the Al-Dhabab basin, a key water source, from entering the city. Fatima Khaled, 55, who suffers from kidney failure, now sleeps on the floor of the dialysis hall at Al-Jumhuri General Hospital because she cannot afford frequent travel from her village or a nearby room. The World Health Organization reported on October 22 that 42 health facilities in Taiz were facing severe shortages of fuel, oxygen, and medicine.