Houthi forces have maintained a tight siege around Yemen's third-largest city of Taiz since early October. This blockade has severed critical food assistance to roughly one million people caught in the urban center. Human rights analyst Baraa Shiban, who recently visited the area, warned that reducing the war to regional rivalries erases these local hardships. He emphasized that innocent civilians inside trapped cities continue to bear the greatest burden of the war.
Key points
Analysts argue that simplifying the Yemeni conflict overlooks the complex domestic realit…: Analysts argue that simplifying the Yemeni conflict overlooks the complex domestic realities of the war.
Framing the Houthis solely through their support for Palestine ignores the suffering of b…: Framing the Houthis solely through their support for Palestine ignores the suffering of besieged Yemeni citizens.
Trapped civilians inside besieged cities continue to pay the highest price throughout the…: Trapped civilians inside besieged cities continue to pay the highest price throughout the ongoing fighting.
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Why is Yemen's conflict so underreported?
30 October 2026 07:35 GMT
Since early October, Houthi forces have encircled Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city. Nearly a million people are cut off from food aid.
Yemeni analyst and human rights activist Baraa Shiban recently returned from the city.
He warns against framing the war as a choice between the Houthis, who back the Palestinian cause, and their opponents, calling it a "mistake when you try to explain the internal dynamics of the conflict".
That framing, he says, overlooks the people inside Yemen’s besieged cities, who "pay the most expensive price".
Yemeni analyst and human rights activist Baraa Shiban recently returned from the city of Taiz, under Houthi siege since early October. https://t.co/PadmwKUGJo
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) October 29, 2026
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