October 23, 2026

SAM for Rights and Liberties delivered two urgent human rights briefings on October 19 and 23 to approximately 168 international and diplomatic officials and bodies. Recipients included foreign ministers of states engaged with the Yemeni file, ambassadors, heads of diplomatic missions, permanent representatives to the United Nations, special rapporteurs, independent experts, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The briefings warned of escalating Houthi attacks against civilians in Taiz Governorate, the tightening siege, and the closure of supply routes, calling for urgent international action to protect the population, halt violations, and ensure accountability.

The organization stated that Taiz Governorate is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and human rights crisis. Attacks on residential neighborhoods coincide with a comprehensive siege, depleting food reserves, and severe shortages of fuel and medicine, threatening the means of survival for roughly two million people in the city and its urban surroundings following years of blockade and war.

SAM revealed that initial records compiled by the organization indicate that at least 94 civilians, including women and children, have been killed since the military escalation began on September 3, while casualty tolls among the injured are still being verified. The organization stressed that these figures are partial and do not reflect the final tally of victims.

The organization documented repeated shelling of homes and residential districts across Taiz city and the villages of Jabal Sabr, Jabal Habashi, Maqbanah, Al-Misrakh, and Al-Aqrud. These incidents include the killing of eight civilians in the village of Al-Miqdhi in the Himyar Al-Jabal area; the death of a father and his daughter in the village of Al-Adan; and the killing of the young girl Maya Maher Mahmoud Haza’a in the village of Kahlan, in addition to injuries sustained by women and children in other strikes.

The briefing highlighted an attack on an ambulance in the Al-Shaqab area on October 20 during a wounded-evacuation mission. The strike resulted in the death of driver Husam Na’man Abdullah Abduljalil, injured accompanying personnel, and destroyed the vehicle. It also cited sniper incidents and widespread damage inflicted on homes, schools, places of worship, and healthcare facilities.

The organization noted that children and adult women accounted for 61.1% of a sample comprising 90 medical intake registries, emphasizing that this percentage reflects the available sample and does not represent all casualties across the governorate.

In its briefing dedicated to the siege, SAM warned that the closure of primary and alternative routes, the seizure of vital transit points, and reports of blown-up bridges and crossings linking Taiz to Aden have effectively isolated the city, obstructing the entry of food, fuel, and medical supplies, as well as the movement of the sick and wounded.

The briefing cited warnings from the World Food Programme regarding an inability to deliver aid to nearly 800,000 individuals in Yemen—including over 600,000 in Taiz—alongside the imminent depletion of wheat flour stocks in several affected districts, sharp price spikes, and mounting concerns over the complete shutdown of hospitals, water facilities, and essential municipal services.

SAM underscored that deliberate attacks directed against civilians and medical transport, as well as indiscriminate attacks, may constitute war crimes when legal elements are established, noting that the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare is strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law.

The organization called on governments, diplomatic missions, and UN mechanisms to explicitly condemn Houthi attacks on civilians and pursue urgent diplomatic interventions to halt shelling and sniper fire, lift the blockade, reopen transit corridors, and guarantee the safe passage of relief supplies and medical evacuations. It also urged independent investigations to establish direct and command responsibility for these violations.

SAM further urged that civilian protection in Taiz remain a top priority within international engagements and UN Security Council discussions, stressing that statements of concern and generic appeals for restraint are no longer sufficient, and that safeguarding the civilian population, opening roads, and ensuring unhindered access to food and medical relief are binding humanitarian and legal imperatives that brook no delay.