Yemen: Desperate situation for civilians trapped by intense fighting in Taiz

Geneva / Sana'a – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is alarmed by the situation in the city of Taiz following days of intensive fighting.

"Sniper fire and indiscriminate shelling has trapped civilians. Dead bodies are in the streets and people are unable to attend to their most basic needs. The situation is desperate," said the head of the ICRC in Yemen, Alexandre Faite.

The wave of civilian suffering brought about by the latest fighting comes on top of months of severe restrictions on people's day-to day-lives including their freedom of movement and their access to basic commodities such as food and water.
"Taiz has been cut off from the outside world for more than a year now. In parts of the governorate, people have not had access to power or running water throughout this time," said Mr. Faite.

The main hospitals in Taiz have reported receiving an average of 200 wounded over the past 72 hours. Many patients are suffering from blast injuries. Many have had to have limbs amputated.

At a time when human suffering in Taiz has reached breaking point, the ICRC calls on all parties to the conflict to respect the sanctity and dignity of human life. It also calls upon the good will of all parties on the ground in Taiz in shouldering their responsibilities for the retrieval of the dead and wounded and for protecting schools, hospitals and residential neighbourhoods.

For further information, please contact:
Rima Kamal, ICRC Sana'a, tel: +967 1 213844 or + 967 73 607 1967
Adnan Hizam, ICRC Sana'a, tel: + 967 73 372 1659
Ralph El Hage, ICRC Amman, +962 7 7845 4382
Louise Taylor, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 22 730 24 78 or +41 79 248 68 22