Geneva – 6 November 2026
SAM for Rights and Liberties said that Taiz Governorate is witnessing a dangerous wave of violations committed by the Houthi group against civilians, including deadly attacks on markets, homes and residential villages; sniper attacks targeting children and women; house demolitions, raids and arrests; and reports of the forced recruitment of children. Meanwhile, the continuing Houthi siege is undermining the basic necessities of life and exposing hundreds of thousands of people to displacement, hunger and deprivation of healthcare, water, fuel and public services.
The organisation strongly condemned the recent attacks that have left dozens of civilians dead or injured, including children and women. It stressed that the repeated use of shells and explosive weapons against populated areas, combined with sniper attacks and restrictions on the evacuation of the wounded and the transportation of supplies, reveals a pattern of assaults whose consequences extend beyond immediate casualties to undermine people's rights to life, safety, health, food, housing and protection from forced displacement.
SAM emphasised that information gathered by its field monitors, together with medical accounts, field testimonies, official statements and international reports issued between 2 and 6 November, paints an exceptionally grim picture of the conditions facing civilians. Armed attacks are occurring alongside diminishing access to hospitals, interruptions to medical supplies and fuel, accumulating waste in residential neighbourhoods, worsening hunger and malnutrition, and widening gaps in shelter and protection for displaced families.
In the latest incident, SAM condemned the attack that struck Al-Hadarah livestock market in Al-Wazi'iyah District, western Taiz Governorate, on the morning of Friday, 6 November. The attack killed and injured large numbers of civilians, destroyed commercial premises, damaged shoppers' property and killed livestock on which many families depended for their livelihoods.
According to preliminary information submitted by the organisation's field monitors, SAM has records of 29 people killed or injured in the attack, while local sources reported higher casualty figures that have not yet been fully reconciled with hospital records and victim lists. Journalist Fares Al-Hemiari, citing local sources, reported estimates of approximately 30 people killed and dozens wounded. He described the recovery of bodies and human remains from the scene, severe injuries among shoppers and the destruction of sections of the market.
In this context, the Taiz local authority held the Houthi group responsible for the attack, stating, on the basis of information from the operations room, that no aerial operations had been conducted in the district on the day of the incident. The spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Colonel Majed Al-Nuzaili, also stated that the attack had been carried out with a Houthi ballistic missile and had left dozens of civilians dead or injured.
SAM holds the Houthi group responsible for the attack on the basis of the field information and official statements on which it relies. It condemns the assault on the market as an attack on a civilian gathering that must not be subjected to hostilities. In light of the competing account published by Houthi-affiliated authorities, which attributed the strike to Saudi aircraft, the organisation stresses the need for an independent technical investigation to establish the weapon used and its origin, examine munition remnants, analyse blast patterns and original visual material, and collect survivors' testimonies. Conflicting accounts must not be allowed to obstruct accountability.
SAM also calls for the preservation of the crime scene, physical evidence and medical records; completion of the nominal list of victims; verification of the numbers killed and injured, including any subsequent deaths; and protection of the rights of victims and their families to truth, justice and reparations.
The organisation emphasises that the gravity of the attack cannot be measured by the number of casualties alone. It also lies in the destruction of livelihoods among families dependent on markets and livestock trading, with additional economic and social consequences for communities already suffering from conflict, displacement and food insecurity.
The Al-Wazi'iyah attack followed other assaults on residential areas and markets in Taiz Governorate over the preceding days, which killed and injured children and women.
On 4 November, four civilians, including three children and a woman, were killed and four others injured in a Houthi missile attack on the home of Ali Abdulhaq Al-Athawri in Al-Athawer village, Hayfan District, southern Taiz Governorate.
According to a statement by the Director of Hayfan District, Ali Rawah, published by the Saba News Agency, those killed included two girls, Mira, aged seven, and Sama, aged 12; a three-year-old child; and Abeer, aged 35. All belonged to the same family.
The wounded included Abduh Marwan Abdulhaq, Zaid Raghadan Ali, the child Burhan Mithaq Abdulhaq and the girl Alia Ali Abdulhaq. The projectile also damaged neighbouring homes and caused widespread panic among residents.
SAM stresses that the killing of children inside a family home and the injury of other members of the same household constitute an exceptionally grave incident requiring an investigation into the type of munition used, the target the attacking forces intended to strike, and compliance with the principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions required to protect civilians.
Earlier, on 2 November, Al-Najd Market in Al-Mukha'af village, Al-Aqroud area of Al-Misrakh District, was struck by a Houthi missile attack that caused casualties among shoppers, most of them children.
The Taiz Siege Affairs Office published a preliminary list naming nine people killed, including eight children. They were: Muwafaq Abdulhabib Ahmed Saeed, aged five; Arafat Saif Ibrahim Thabet, aged 32; Ammar Mohammed Rajeh, aged 13; Hamza Ezzeldin Abduh Yusuf, aged ten; Mohammed Abdulbasit Abdulqader, aged 11; Mohammed Aleem Abduh Othman, aged 13; Abed Abdulraqeeb Hazza Abduh Muhyoub, aged 11; Abdullah Abdulghani Othman, aged 15; and Amr Khaled Saif Ahmed Abdullah, aged 15.
SAM considers the deaths of so many children in a public market a stark illustration of the devastating impact of attacks on civilians. The incident underscores the need for investigations that go beyond announcing casualty figures to identify those responsible for selecting targets, issuing orders and carrying out attacks.
Houthi attacks over the following days extended to villages in Al-Aqroud, Sabr Al-Mawadim, the Old Airport area, Mashra'a Wa Hadnan, Al-Misrakh and Al-Dabab. Local sources and SAM field monitors documented repeated injuries among civilians, including children, women and older people.
On 3 November, Dina Mahmoud Ahmed Hamoud, a 13-year-old girl, sustained shrapnel injuries to various parts of her body following mortar shelling of residential villages in Al-Aqroud, according to a report by the Taiz Siege Affairs Office.
On 4 November, Manaf Badee Abdulghani Abdulraqeeb, aged 16, was shot in the abdomen by a sniper in Adud village, Sabr Al-Mawadim District, according to the published report of the incident.
Thursday, 5 November, witnessed several Houthi shelling and sniper attacks across different areas. According to the final update issued by the Taiz Siege Affairs Office, one woman was killed and 14 civilians were injured, including children and women.
The casualties included Badria Mohammed Mahmoud Haidar, aged 40, from Al-Dhira area of Al-Misrakh District, who died from injuries caused by shrapnel that struck her hip joint.
Sniper fire also wounded three women in Jarah area: Samira Sharaf Abduh Abdulaziz, who was injured in the foot; Umm Al-Rahman Saeed Ali Ali, who sustained a gunshot wound; and Katibah Ghalib Abdullah Saeed, who was also listed among those injured in the incident.
Elsewhere, Fatima Ali Hammadi, aged 70, from Mashra'a Wa Hadnan, sustained multiple shrapnel injuries; Alia Mahmoud Saif Mohammed, aged 17, was struck by shrapnel in the face; and Maali Sultan Abduljalil Hizam, aged 20, was injured by shrapnel near her left eye during shelling of Al-Najid village in Al-Mashrah.
The list of wounded also included Baligh Khaled Hassan Saif, aged 22, who sustained a shrapnel injury to his right knee in Al-Masalikh area of Al-Dabab; Abdulaziz Abdulghani Qasim Ismail, aged 45, who was wounded by shrapnel in the thigh; and Muadh Ibrahim Saeed Ghalib Qaed, aged 17, who sustained gunshot injuries to his hand and ear in Hasban area.
In Al-Aqroud, Atikah Ahmed Abduh Abduljalil, aged 65, sustained shrapnel injuries to the head, while Khawlah Mohammed Abdulrazzaq Ahmed, aged 40, suffered a penetrating head wound in Al-Naidani area.
The attacks also reached civilians inside their homes. Mushirah Mohammed Abduh Ahmed, aged 35, sustained multiple shrapnel injuries when a projectile landed inside her home in Asifarah, while Abeer Mohammed Ali Abdullah, aged 30, suffered shrapnel injuries to her chest, left hand and face during shelling of Dabbat Al-Aqroud.
In a development that further underscores the dangers posed by these attacks, journalist Ahmed Al-Bakari reported that attempts to evacuate Atikah Ahmed Abduh Abduljalil had been endangered. Her transfer to the city was delayed for several hours because of continuing shelling and difficulties accessing the area, before residents and rescue workers managed to evacuate her after an arduous journey.
SAM stresses that repeated shelling of residential areas, compounded by difficulties in evacuating the wounded, can turn treatable injuries into life-threatening conditions. It calls for investigations into any deliberate attacks against medical evacuation teams or unlawful obstruction of rescue operations.
As part of its direct monitoring, SAM obtained medical and field testimonies concerning three children injured on 5 and 6 November in areas affected by Houthi shelling and sniper fire.
The organisation documented the injury of Arsalan Mohammed Ahmed Mohammed, aged five, in Ras Al-Naqil village, Al-Aqroud, at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, 5 November. He sustained a penetrating gunshot wound that entered his abdomen and exited through his back near the spinal column.
SAM's field monitor reported that the child was transferred to Al-Rawdah Hospital for treatment. The same incident appeared in a locally published casualty list under a partially different name. The child's medical records should therefore be used to establish his full name before it is finalised in the register, without counting the incident as two separate injuries.
At approximately 8:00 a.m. on Friday, 6 November, Firas Shaker Saeed Mohammed Saeed, aged seven, sustained a shrapnel injury to the palm of his left hand when a projectile exploded after striking a wall in Al-Jabali area, Al-Dabab, Sabr Al-Mawadim District.
According to information collected by SAM, the child was transferred to Al-Safwa Hospital. The Taiz Siege Affairs Office also confirmed that he was injured by Houthi shelling of the area.
On the same day, the organisation received a report from the emergency department of Al-Thawra General Hospital concerning the arrival of Aryan Yassin Abduljalil Mohammed, aged two, at 4:04 p.m., after sustaining a head injury caused by a Houthi projectile that landed in Al-Dabab.
The initial medical report described swelling to the child's head that required hospital treatment. The Taiz Siege Affairs Office published a separate report confirming the incident.
SAM stresses that the injuries sustained by children as young as two, five and seven while in residential areas constitute serious violations of their rights to life, safety and security, and reinforce the responsibility of Houthi forces to halt attacks that expose children to such dangers.
Alongside shelling and sniper attacks, SAM expressed grave concern over repeated reports of house demolitions, raids and civilian detentions in areas under Houthi control.
On 5 November, field reports published by journalists Taha Saleh and Ahmed Al-Bakari indicated that Houthi fighters had blown up the home of Mazen Al-Jaradi, also known as Abu Assaf, in Shaab Muzaffar area of Al-Aqroud. The incident requires an investigation into the circumstances of the demolition, the civilian status of the house and whether any legitimate military necessity existed.
On the same day, information emerged that Houthi forces had surrounded the home of Judge Abdulsalam Abdulqawi Al-Saruri in Janabah village, Bani Yusuf area, using six military vehicles for approximately five hours. They reportedly attempted to enter the house despite the judge's absence, while women and children were inside.
According to the published account of the incident, the armed men attempted to take one of the judge's sons away, but local residents intervened and prevented them. Three of his relatives and a neighbour were nevertheless detained and taken to an unknown location.
Another report concerned the detention of Sheikh Amin Ahmed Abdullah, the sheikh of Anbyan area in Al-Misrakh District, together with his son and several nephews. They were taken to a location that has not been disclosed.
In a separate incident, local reports indicated that a military vehicle belonging to the Houthi group had struck a child near the home of Dr Rashad Al-Alimi. Members of the force reportedly took the child away, claiming that they would provide medical assistance. At the time the report was published, his family had been unable to establish his whereabouts despite searching several healthcare facilities.
SAM demands the immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of all individuals detained or taken to undisclosed locations by Houthi forces, access for their families to communicate with them, and verification of their safety. The organisation warns that the continued concealment of places of detention, or refusal to provide information about detainees, may constitute enforced disappearance where the applicable legal elements are met.
SAM also condemns reports of the mobilisation and forced recruitment of children in parts of Al-Aqroud on 4 November, which were accompanied by the displacement of families towards Mashra'a Wa Hadnan. It demands an immediate end to the recruitment and use of children in military activities and conditions that enable their safe return to education and civilian life.
Against this backdrop, SAM warned that the continuing Houthi siege of Taiz threatens to leave the city deprived of most essential services, placing patients, children, pregnant women, impoverished families and displaced people at increasing risk.
A press conference held by the Taiz Emergency Committee on 5 November revealed that food and other essential supplies entering the city had fallen to no more than 15 per cent of their normal volumes, according to Abdulrahman Al-Qulai'ah, Director of the Industry and Trade Office.
The local official explained that restrictions on roads had led to shortages, rising prices and disruptions to the movement of goods, while residents' needs continued to increase because of the fighting, displacement and loss of livelihoods.
In the health sector, Dr Fahd Al-Nadhari, Director of the Public Health and Population Office, reported that indicators recorded up to 29 October showed a 53.5 per cent decline in patient visits, a 51.3 per cent decline in births and a 51.4 per cent reduction in newborn care services.
By contrast, emergency medical services increased by 23 per cent, alongside a rise in surgical cases associated with shelling and injuries.
The office's figures also showed a 38.9 per cent increase in recorded deaths in besieged areas, a 450 per cent increase in the child mortality indicator, and a 66.7 per cent increase in deaths among children under five. Cases of acute malnutrition increased by 16 per cent, while the number of children admitted to malnutrition treatment centres rose by 25 per cent.
SAM emphasises that these indicators represent percentage changes in the records presented by the Health Office and require examination of absolute case numbers and reference periods to determine the scale of the increases. Even within those limitations, however, they reveal a severe deterioration in access to healthcare and hospitals' ability to meet growing needs.
Ali Al-Aj'ar, Director of the Yemen Petroleum Company branch, also confirmed that the governorate's normal consumption amounts to 6.5 million litres of petroleum products per month, while transporting fuel into the city has become increasingly dangerous and allocated quantities have been delayed by road restrictions.
Similarly, Bilal Al-Qumairi, Director of the Gas Company Office, warned that regular supplies of household cooking gas had been blocked, contributing to the growth of the black market and price increases beyond the means of many families.
SAM considers that depriving the population of fuel and cooking gas affects far more than transportation and cooking. It also undermines hospitals, ambulances, water pumps, waste collection facilities and municipal services, turning the siege into a source of interconnected humanitarian and health-related harm.
In another development demonstrating the far-reaching effects of the Houthi siege, SAM warned of a worsening waste crisis in Taiz, after Houthi forces prevented garbage trucks from reaching disposal sites.
According to an investigation published by Al-Masdar Online on 5 November, a Houthi checkpoint prevented sanitation teams from reaching the Hadaiq Al-Saleh landfill in Al-Dabab, forcing them to turn back and dispose of waste at an alternative site in Al-Masalikh.
Dr Ilan Abdulhaq, the governorate's Deputy Governor for Health Affairs, confirmed that the Health and Environment Committee had approved transporting waste to the designated site, but the refusal to allow the trucks through had obstructed implementation. She warned of increasing risks of disease and epidemics as garbage continued to accumulate in residential neighbourhoods.
Walid Al-Salami, Director of the Cleaning and Improvement Fund, stated that Taiz produces between 500 and 550 tonnes of waste every day, requiring a continuously functioning system of equipment, workers, fuel and safe disposal sites.
He explained that the Fund had resorted to emergency interventions to remove accumulated waste from some streets and neighbourhoods, but these efforts had consumed a substantial proportion of its limited resources, including fuel, maintenance costs, spare parts and the hiring of additional transport vehicles.
In testimony cited by the investigation, Aed Al-Sabri, a resident of Bir Basha, described the suffering caused by foul smells, insects and mosquitoes resulting from accumulated waste. Saddam Al-Shaibani, from Al-Tahrir Street, said he had been forced to move his family away from their home because of smoke rising from burning waste nearby.
Badri Mohammed Ahmed, Director of the General Authority for Environmental Protection, also warned of the dangers posed by decomposing waste, the formation of contaminated liquids, the proliferation of rodents and insects, and the release of gases from burning rubbish, which can cause respiratory and other health problems.
These accounts are reinforced by video testimonies published by the Taiz Siege Affairs Office, in which residents and sanitation workers described having to use temporary waste disposal sites near floodwater channels and the resulting environmental and health hazards.
SAM stresses that preventing sanitation teams from accessing their workplaces and allowing waste accumulation to develop into a public health crisis is a clear example of the extended harm caused by the Houthi siege. Its consequences go beyond road closures to include environmental contamination, deteriorating public health and threats to residents' lives, particularly children, older people and those with respiratory illnesses.
At the humanitarian level, data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on 4 November showed that the escalation had displaced 308,653 people, representing 51,436 households, between 1 August and 3 November, an increase of 10,374 displaced people compared with the previous update issued on 1 November.
This brought the cumulative number of displaced people recorded since June to 309,709, covering a longer reporting period and therefore not representing an additional caseload on top of the August–November figure.
Taiz Governorate hosted the largest number of newly displaced people, with 135,648 individuals, accounting for 44 per cent of the total, followed by Lahj with 77,052 and Aden with 58,884.
Other displaced people were distributed across Abyan, Al-Hodeidah, Shabwah, Hadramawt, Ma'rib, Al-Maharah and Al-Dhale'e, demonstrating the expanding geographical scope of the crisis and its impact on host communities already struggling with limited resources and services.
The data showed that approximately 178,860 people, or 58 per cent, were displaced within their governorates of origin, while 129,793 people, or 42 per cent, moved to other governorates.
In Taiz, Jabal Habashi District hosted 33,636 displaced people since August, most of them from within the governorate, while Al-Ma'afer hosted 32,610. Al-Madaribah Wa Al-Aarah District in Lahj also received large numbers of families displaced from Taiz.
According to IOM, shelter was the main priority for 36 per cent of displaced people, followed by food assistance at 31 per cent and financial support at 28 per cent, highlighting the widespread inability to secure basic necessities.
In an even more alarming development, a report by the Shelter, Land and Site Coordination Cluster dated 4 November showed that 40,830 displaced households had unmet emergency shelter needs, equivalent to 79 per cent of households covered by the assessment. The gap in essential non-food item assistance affected 35,675 households, or 69 per cent.
The Cluster estimated that closing the emergency shelter gap would require approximately US$22 million, while the non-food item gap would require US$10.3 million, bringing the combined funding requirement to approximately US$32.4 million.
The report also recorded the establishment of 29 new displacement sites and the arrival of new displaced populations at 86 existing sites, covering approximately 10,000 households at those locations. An additional US$3.6 million was needed for site management and maintenance over the following six months.
SAM considers that these continuing shortfalls expose families to living outdoors or in inadequate, overcrowded accommodation, increasing the risks of exploitation, violence, loss of privacy and deprivation of water, sanitation and healthcare.
Human testimonies illustrate the suffering hidden behind the statistics.
A Reuters report published by Yemen Future on 6 November documented the experiences of displaced women Fatima Abdullah Qasim and Intizar Ahmed Saeed, who were forced to collect and sell plastic bottles to feed their children after fleeing the fighting in Taiz.
Fatima, a separated mother of eight, recounted that her family had fled their village in Al-Dabab on foot at night. They spent two days on the streets before taking shelter in a damaged building that offered inadequate protection from the cold.
Fatima had already lost one of her sons in a landmine explosion in 2017. She now faces another displacement experience, with the responsibilities of caring for her children growing amid a lack of income and adequate shelter.
Intizar, a widow caring for seven children, explained that the small amount she earns by collecting and selling plastic is insufficient to provide her family with basic food, while employment opportunities have declined and living costs have increased.
In another testimony published by UNICEF Middle East and North Africa on 4 November, the agency shared the story of Saleh, aged ten, who was first displaced when he was two years old. He knows his place of origin only through stories told by his father, before the latest escalation forced his family to flee once again.
SAM stresses that these cases reveal the cumulative psychological, social and economic harm suffered by children and families, particularly those who have experienced repeated displacement and lost stability, education, livelihoods and a sense of security.
SAM also warned of rapidly deteriorating food security amid rising prices, disrupted supplies and declining household purchasing power.
The World Food Programme's October 2026 Food Security Update showed that 71 per cent of households in areas under the control of the internationally recognised Yemeni government were unable to meet their minimum food needs in September, while 36 per cent experienced severe food deprivation.
The Programme also reported that 17 per cent of households experienced moderate or severe hunger. In Taiz, the figure reached 23 per cent, among the highest recorded in the areas monitored.
The report documented families adopting severe coping strategies, including reducing the number and size of meals, relying on cheaper foods and cutting adults' food consumption to prioritise children. WFP data showed that 38 per cent of households had reduced adults' food intake to allow children to eat.
In districts affected by the siege and fighting, the proportion of households with inadequate food consumption ranged between 65 and 76 per cent, with significant deterioration in parts of Taiz and Al-Hodeidah during the third quarter of the year.
WFP further warned that Yemen's Humanitarian Response Plan was only approximately 23 per cent funded by the end of October, limiting humanitarian organisations' ability to meet growing needs amid expanding displacement and restricted access.
According to the Joint Monitoring Report on Food and Nutrition Security Crisis Risks, published by ACAPS and its partners on 3 November, the number of critical alerts related to food and nutrition security risks rose from 23 in July to 114 in September, driven mainly by escalating conflict and displacement.
These included 65 critical alerts associated with conflict and 38 associated with displacement, alongside risks related to drought and disruptions to markets and supply chains.
The report also indicated that more than 18 million people in Yemen were facing acute food insecurity and warned that conditions would continue to deteriorate in the coming months if hostilities and restrictions on supplies and humanitarian assistance persisted.
SAM stresses that depriving civilians of food or deliberately obstructing access to supplies indispensable to their survival contravenes fundamental obligations under international humanitarian law. The continuing Houthi siege amid these alarming indicators requires an investigation into the responsibility of commanders who imposed and maintained restrictions despite their knowledge of the consequences.
In the health sector, a situation report issued by International Medical Corps on 5 November revealed increasing medical, nutritional and psychosocial needs among displaced people in governorates affected by the escalation.
Two mobile medical teams in Abyan and Lahj provided 1,219 medical consultations, including 478 consultations for children under five, as well as 258 immunisation services and 67 antenatal care consultations.
The teams also screened 444 children under five for acute malnutrition. The results identified 42 children with severe acute malnutrition and 197 with moderate acute malnutrition, bringing the total to 239 children suffering from one of the two forms of acute malnutrition.
These children represented approximately 54 per cent of those screened at the targeted sites. This proportion reflects the severity of the situation in high-risk displacement settings and should not be interpreted as the prevalence of acute malnutrition among all children in Yemen.
The teams also screened 118 pregnant and breastfeeding women, enrolled 76 of them for nutritional treatment and follow-up, and provided 121 individual counselling sessions on infant and young child feeding and hygiene.
In an indication of growing mental health needs, International Medical Corps reported that children accounted for 244 cases, or 76 per cent of 320 new mental health and psychosocial support consultations, illustrating the escalating psychological consequences of conflict, displacement and insecurity.
The organisation stated that 18 of the 19 health facilities it supports continued operating along the western coast despite restrictions and supply shortages, and that these facilities recorded approximately 11,512 medical consultations in October.
Despite the partial continuation of services, patient attendance remained approximately one-third below August levels because of limited access and shortages of staff, medicines and medical supplies.
International Medical Corps also reported delivering 56 metric tonnes of essential medicines and medical supplies to Aden, Al-Dhale'e, Lahj and Taiz, and transporting therapeutic nutritional supplies for children with malnutrition to Al-Madaribah Wa Al-Aarah districts.
SAM stresses that these interventions, while important, cannot replace the need to remove restrictions preventing patients, medical teams and supplies from reaching those in need, nor are they sufficient to meet the rapid increase in displaced and injured populations.
During a press briefing delivered in Geneva on 3 November, Francesco Galtieri, the United Nations Population Fund's representative in Yemen, warned that displacement, fighting and restrictions on services were exposing women and girls to severe risks, including violence, exploitation, harassment, early marriage and disruptions to maternal and reproductive healthcare.
UNFPA reported that women and children accounted for more than half of the displaced population and that women were now heading approximately one-third of displaced households, while large numbers of families had lost their sources of income and traditional means of protection.
The Fund also described the case of a 14-year-old girl in Lahj who had lost her mother and was married to an elderly man during the crisis because her father feared that he would be unable to protect her if he were killed or injured.
SAM considers that this case illustrates the multiple risks faced by girls as a consequence of poverty, displacement and the breakdown of protection networks. It calls for stronger psychosocial support and services to protect women and girls from gender-based violence and early marriage.
In Taiz, UNFPA reported that more than 147,000 women and girls of reproductive age had been affected by disruptions to life-saving services, while more than 13,000 pregnant women lacked access to essential healthcare.
The Fund also stated that only five of 27 facilities providing emergency maternal and newborn care remained partially operational, a deeply alarming indicator of the health system's ability to respond to obstetric emergencies and complications.
At the Yemeni-Swedish Hospital for Maternity and Childhood, average daily deliveries fell from approximately ten to five, while the number of operational incubators declined from 40 to just ten because of fuel and supply shortages.
UNFPA further reported that hospital admissions by pregnant women at night had fallen to almost zero because of fears of shelling and difficulties reaching healthcare facilities. Midwives had also observed increases in miscarriages and unsafe home deliveries in the most severely affected areas.
The Fund estimated that 6,400 pregnant women were among the displaced population, with approximately 1,500 obstetric emergencies potentially arising within this group. It also estimated that 1,500 pregnant women could give birth over the following two weeks within the scope of needs presented in the briefing.
Under these circumstances, UNFPA warned that restrictions on access, funding shortages and staffing constraints had led to the suspension of approximately 75 per cent of protection services previously available in the areas covered by its response.
It also reported that 18 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies were awaiting passage because of security challenges and difficult road conditions, while the Fund and its partners sought alternative arrangements to reach beneficiaries.
Despite these restrictions, UNFPA stated that the joint Rapid Response Mechanism had reached more than 182,000 people since the escalation began. It had also dispatched 55 tonnes of maternal health medicines and supplies to support approximately 120,000 pregnant women in the following months, alongside mobile health teams and a network of community midwives.
SAM stresses that these humanitarian efforts do not absolve the Houthi group of its responsibility to lift restrictions on roads and supplies and ensure that women, pregnant women and patients can reach services on which their lives depend.
In another development, SAM expressed grave concern over a statement issued by Yemen's Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation on 5 November, which accused the Houthi group of using a United Nations building in Al-Mokha District as a military operations centre and missile-launching site.
The Ministry warned that turning facilities designated for UN and humanitarian activities into military sites could endanger humanitarian workers, civilians, cargo vessels and international navigation in the Red Sea.
SAM stresses that using humanitarian or United Nations buildings for combat purposes, if established, would constitute a serious violation of the protections afforded to such facilities and would threaten the safety of humanitarian personnel, aid operations and the trust necessary for international organisations to continue their work.
The organisation calls for an independent investigation into the Ministry's allegations and guarantees that no humanitarian facility will be used as cover for military operations, weapons storage or the launching of projectiles.
SAM for Rights and Liberties considers that the incidents witnessed in Taiz over recent days reveal a dangerous pattern of Houthi attacks and assaults on civilians, in which direct casualties are compounded by widespread humanitarian harm resulting from road closures and the disruption of supplies and essential services.
The organisation holds the Houthi group directly responsible for the shelling, sniper attacks, house demolitions, detentions and restrictions imposed on civilians that SAM has documented and attributed to the group's forces. Such practices cannot be justified by military necessity or the continuation of hostilities.
SAM further stresses that deliberately directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects, carrying out indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks, targeting medical personnel or unlawfully obstructing medical evacuations violate international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes where the applicable legal elements are established.
Regarding the siege, SAM emphasises that deliberately depriving civilians of objects indispensable to their survival, including food and water, or using starvation as a method of warfare, is prohibited under international humanitarian law. Restrictions that obstruct humanitarian assistance and life-saving services must also be examined for their lawfulness, consequences and the responsibility of those who maintain them.
The organisation calls for investigations to examine the responsibility of Houthi commanders who issued orders, supervised operations or knew of violations but failed to take the necessary measures to prevent them or punish those responsible, in accordance with the applicable requirements of individual and command responsibility under international law.
SAM for Rights and Liberties demands an immediate end to unlawful Houthi attacks on markets, homes, villages and residential neighbourhoods, and to sniper fire and shelling that endanger civilian lives, particularly those of children, women and older people.
The organisation also calls for independent and urgent investigations into the attacks on Al-Hadarah Market in Al-Wazi'iyah, Al-Najd Market in Al-Mukha'af and the home of the Al-Athawri family in Hayfan, as well as other incidents of killing, injury, shelling and sniper attacks. These investigations must preserve physical, digital and medical evidence and identify those responsible at both individual and command levels.
SAM calls on the Houthi group to immediately lift the siege imposed on Taiz, reopen vital roads to civilians, humanitarian assistance and commercial and medical supplies, and allow the entry of fuel, cooking gas, medicines, oxygen and essential materials without unlawful restrictions.
It further stresses the need to ensure the safe passage of ambulances, sanitation and water trucks, and medical and humanitarian teams, and to enable healthcare facilities, water systems and municipal services to restore their operational capacity.
SAM demands the immediate and unconditional release of all arbitrarily detained persons, disclosure of the whereabouts of those taken by Houthi forces to unknown locations, verification of the safety of the child reportedly taken away after being struck by a vehicle, and an end to unlawful raids, house demolitions and child recruitment.
The organisation also calls for urgent protection for displaced families and expanded shelter, food, water, healthcare, nutrition and psychosocial support services, with particular priority given to pregnant women, children, female-headed households, persons with disabilities and patients with chronic illnesses.
SAM urges the United Nations and the international community to move beyond expressions of concern and take practical measures to protect civilians, secure safe and sustained humanitarian access, preserve evidence of crimes and serious violations, and support mechanisms for independent investigation, accountability and reparations.
In concluding its briefing, SAM for Rights and Liberties stresses that the killing of children and women in markets and homes, injuries inflicted on toddlers by shelling, the demolition and raiding of houses, the concealment of detainees' whereabouts, the denial of medical treatment to patients, and the displacement and impoverishment that force families to collect waste materials to secure their next meal must not become an accepted reality met with silence or statements of condemnation alone.
Ending Houthi violations, lifting the siege of Taiz, protecting civilians, ensuring the delivery of humanitarian relief, independently investigating crimes and holding those responsible accountable are urgent legal and humanitarian obligations that admit no delay. They are also essential to ending civilian suffering and breaking the cycle of impunity.