Geneva – SAM for Rights and Liberties stated that the water crisis in the city of Taiz has intensified to an unprecedented level over the past two weeks, amid an almost complete lack of drinking water in local shops and sanitary water stations. This situation poses a direct threat to the rights to life and health for residents of the city, which has been under siege for years.

The organization pointed out that this sharp deterioration in water conditions is taking place in the context of a suffocating siege imposed by the armed Houthi group since 2015, coupled with a deliberate failure by successive government authorities to provide strategic and sustainable solutions to a crisis rooted in decades-long mismanagement of water resources.

SAM explained that the city is witnessing multiple aspects of a humanitarian crisis, including widespread collapse of water infrastructure, the inability of impoverished families to afford basic needs, and record-high water prices due to the severe drought affecting the region. In some neighborhoods, the cost of a single water tank now exceeds what most families can afford.

The organization noted that children are among the most affected groups under these conditions, as many have been forced to leave school for long hours in search of water sources—whether in neighborhoods or near exposed wells—exposing them to serious health and safety risks. This, SAM stressed, is a blatant violation of their economic and social rights.

Relying on recent reports by Human Rights Watch, SAM affirmed that all parties to the conflict in Yemen, including the Houthi group and government forces, have deepened the humanitarian crisis through systematic practices, including siege tactics, discriminatory service delivery, obstruction of truck movement, and disruption of maintenance for water wells and pumping stations—leaving the population in a state of utter deprivation.

The organization considered the deprivation of millions of civilians in Taiz from access to water a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, which obligates all parties to the conflict to ensure access to basic necessities of life, especially clean water. SAM also regarded the continuation of this situation as a form of collective punishment that targets human dignity and must be stopped immediately.

SAM called on all parties to the conflict—foremost among them the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition that supports it—to assume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities toward civilians in Taiz, and not to be content with shifting blame to other parties. The organization urged immediate action to end the crisis and ensure non-discriminatory access to water and basic services. It emphasized that continued official inaction and excuses based on the war do not justify abandoning millions of Yemenis to thirst and disease, nor do they absolve parties from their clear violations of international humanitarian and human rights obligations.

The organization also stressed the need to combat rampant corruption, which has cost the city of Taiz dearly and weakened its ability to withstand the siege and war. SAM asserted that corrupt deals and profiteering at the expense of civilians’ suffering have contributed to worsening the water crisis and other humanitarian disasters. The organization called for the suffering of Taiz’s residents to be removed from political bargaining and blame-shifting, and instead approached with a responsible humanitarian spirit that places people’s lives and dignity above all calculations and interests. SAM urged immediate measures to ensure the delivery of basic services and to save millions of Yemenis from the threat of thirst and epidemic outbreaks.

SAM called on the United Nations and the international community to take swift action to alleviate the suffering in Taiz and to work with Yemen’s international partners to ensure that civilians have access to safe drinking water.

The organization also urged pressure on the Houthi group to immediately lift the siege imposed on Taiz, halt all hostile military activities that worsen the population’s suffering, and allow entry for technical teams specialized in repairing water networks.

SAM further called on the Yemeni government to open an investigation into corruption cases related to water, and to hold those responsible accountable, considering such acts as war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.

The organization also urged the government to assume its legal and moral responsibility toward the city’s residents and to announce an urgent emergency plan to secure clean water at affordable prices, ensuring that children and women are no longer forced to continue their painful search for water in the midst of this harsh drought.