Geneva – 9 November 2026
SAM for Rights and Liberties said that the Houthi group continues to commit serious violations against civilians in Taiz Governorate, including attacks on ambulances and civilian vehicles, sniper fire and shelling targeting villages and residential neighbourhoods, and the detention of civilians, including a young girl and an education professional. These violations coincide with tighter restrictions on roads and supplies, while new humanitarian data reveal continued waves of displacement, growing food and healthcare needs, and the risk that hundreds of thousands of children will be deprived of essential vaccinations.
The organisation strongly condemned the attack on an ambulance transporting an injured person in the Al-Awat area of Sabr al-Mawadim District on Sunday, 8 November. According to preliminary information published by local and official sources, the attack killed two civilians and injured another person. The incident is part of a series of attacks on medical transport vehicles in recent weeks.
SAM stressed that the seriousness of these attacks extends beyond the immediate number of casualties to the disruption of medical evacuations and the exposure of patients and wounded individuals to the risk of death while attempting to reach hospitals, particularly in areas where the group restricts the movement of civilians, vehicles, and humanitarian assistance.
The organisation also expressed grave concern over statements issued by the Public Health and Population Office in Taiz, which warned that approximately 347,000 children had been deprived of measles and rubella vaccines, while 72,500 children under the age of one were at risk of losing access to routine immunisation. These developments coincide with the recording of 2,738 measles cases and 26 deaths associated with the disease from the beginning of 2026 through the end of October.
These developments come as the latest data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) show that displacement resulting from the escalation in western Yemen reached 320,849 people, representing 53,468 households, between 1 August and 7 November. Meanwhile, an updated map published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recorded the arrival of 4,201 people from Yemen in Djibouti and Somalia.
This briefing draws on incidents and local data published between 7 and 9 November 2026, official and medical reports, civilian testimonies, photographic and video evidence, and updates from the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the World Health Organization. Incidents and overlapping casualty figures have been distinguished, while preliminary information and disputed details have remained attributed to their respective sources.
On 8 November, an ambulance came under gunfire while travelling along a public road in the Al-Awat area, west of Al-Shaqab in Sabr al-Mawadim District, southeastern Taiz Governorate, as it was transporting an injured person for medical treatment.
According to information reported by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), citing local and medical sources, Houthi forces opened heavy fire on the vehicle, killing the wounded person being transported and another individual accompanying him, and injuring a member of the ambulance crew as he attempted to provide assistance.
The sources reported that the gunfire originated from Houthi positions on the outskirts of the Al-Saynah area and involved sniper rifles and machine guns. The attack damaged the ambulance and prevented responders from reaching and recovering the victims because of the continuing threat of gunfire, until another ambulance team arrived from the upper slopes of Jabal Sabr to provide assistance.
In a separate update published by the Taiz Siege Affairs Office, the office identified the deceased as Abdulkarim Abdullah Abdu al-Quraydi, the injured person who was being transported for treatment, and Abdulraqib Abdu Ahmed al-Jaradi, whom it described as the ambulance driver.
In a statement issued on 8 November by the Joint Medical Emergency Committee in Taiz Governorate, the committee expressed shock at the repeated attacks on ambulances and medical personnel, noting that it had received reports of another ambulance being targeted in the Al-Shaqab and Sabr area.
In a separate incident on 8 November, civilian vehicles travelling along a public road through villages in the Al-Najada subdistrict, in the Al-Shaqab area of Sabr al-Mawadim District, came under fire from medium-calibre weapons. Two women were injured, and the vehicles sustained damage.
According to a statement reported by Saba News Agency, citing local sources, the gunfire targeted four civilian vehicles, including three saloon cars and a Shas-type pickup truck, which were carrying women and other civilians along the road.
The information indicated that two women were injured and the targeted vehicles damaged, amid continued restrictions imposed by the Houthi group on movement in the area.
The two injured women, whose names appeared in an update issued by the Siege Affairs Office, were Safiya Abdu Saeed Ahmed, 51, who sustained shrapnel injuries to her right leg, and Samira Ahmed Mahyoub Mohammed Qahtan, 42, who suffered shrapnel injuries to various parts of her body.
Local sources indicated that the Al-Najada subdistrict is home to approximately 26,000 households, according to their estimate, and that road restrictions expose civilian movement to danger, including vehicles transporting patients, food, and medical supplies.
In an update published on the evening of Sunday, 8 November, the Siege Affairs Office announced that nine civilians had been injured by sniper fire, shelling, and gunfire carried out by the Houthi group in different areas of Taiz Governorate.
The list included the following cases:
Bakil Munir Abdullah Abduljabbar, 17: Sustained a gunshot wound to his right shoulder in Al-Najada village, Sabr al-Mawadim District.
Raghad Ahmed Mohammed Naji Ismail, 16: Sustained a gunshot wound to the right clavicle area in the Old Airport area.
Mohammed Abdulbari Saeed Ahmed Qasim, 12: Sustained what was described as a superficial chest injury from a ricocheted bullet in Wadi al-Bir, Sabr al-Mawadim District.
Adeeb Hazza Ahmed al-Sharif, 46: Sustained superficial shrapnel injuries to the head in the Al-Najada area.
Bandar Ali Abdullah Naji, 46: Sustained shrapnel injuries to the head in the Al-Arous area.
Hilal Abdulmajid Qasim Abdullah Mohammed, six: Sustained an injury from a fragment of a ricocheted sniper bullet above his left eyebrow in Qahmah village, Mishra' subdistrict, Mishra' wa Hadnan District.
Safiya Abdu Saeed Ahmed, 51: Sustained shrapnel injuries to her right leg when a civilian vehicle was targeted in Al-Najada.
Samira Ahmed Mahyoub Mohammed Qahtan, 42: Sustained shrapnel injuries to various parts of her body when a civilian vehicle was targeted in the same area.
Aseel Muadh Abdullah Saeed, 16: Was wounded by Houthi sniper fire in Qahfat al-Sarm village, Al-Aqroud area, southeastern Taiz.
The ages listed in the statement indicate that several of the injured were under 18, while the update described only two of the victims as children. This discrepancy requires verification of the ages against the final records.
Regarding the case of Hilal, the Siege Affairs Office published a separate report, stating that a fragment from a ricocheted sniper bullet struck him above his left eyebrow in Qahmah village. This incident illustrates that the dangers of gunfire in civilian areas are not limited to people directly targeted, but may also extend to children present near areas where shots are fired.
Alongside the armed attacks, SAM received with concern reports published on 7 and 8 November concerning the detention of civilians in Taiz, including a young girl, an education professional, and an agricultural worker.
On 7 November, journalist Ahmed al-Bakari reported that members of the Houthi group had abducted a 12-year-old girl from Al-Hawjalah village in the Al-Aqroud subdistrict after her father refused to provide food to members of the group.
The published information did not disclose the girl's name, her place of detention, or details of her physical and psychological condition. This underscores the urgent need to establish her whereabouts, ensure her safety, and return her to her family.
On the same day, another report documented the detention of education professional Mohammed Abduljalil al-Mujahid, the former head of Maeen al-Maeen School, in the Al-Qahaf subdistrict of Jabal Habashi District, after he returned to his home area following displacement.
According to the report, authorities affiliated with the group refused to allow his family to communicate with him or disclose his place of detention, heightening concerns about his safety and conditions of detention.
On 8 November, another report stated that an agricultural worker had been detained in the Al-Dhabab area, west of Taiz city, for attempting to plough farmland.
These cases raise concerns about the expansion of Houthi restrictions on essential civilian activities, including education, agriculture, and return to places of origin, at a time when residents depend on resuming their work and livelihoods to overcome the consequences of displacement.
The organisation warned of the widening scope of Houthi restrictions on the movement of goods and civilians in Taiz Governorate, including southern roads connecting the governorate with Lahj, rather than only those leading to the city centre.
On 9 November, video footage was published showing dozens of trucks loaded with goods at a standstill, accompanied by reports that the Houthi group had imposed restrictions on their passage through the Al-Suha crossing in southern Taiz Governorate, near the border with Lahj.
The immobilisation of trucks along this route reflects the widening disruption affecting supply networks and commercial movement, undermining the delivery of goods to markets and populated areas.
On the same day, Yemen Shabab TV reported, citing local sources, that the Houthi group had imposed new restrictions, including a ban on the entry of powdered milk, baby diapers, certain medical supplies, and food products, including vegetables and fruit.
The sources warned that the continuation of these measures threatens more than 72,000 children under the age of one and approximately half a million children under five, amid declining access to essential goods.
In an extremely serious public health development, the Public Health and Population Office in Taiz Governorate warned in a statement issued on 7 November that the continuing siege and disruption of vaccine supplies had led to the suspension of measles and rubella immunisation campaigns, depriving approximately 347,000 children in the target population of the necessary vaccines.
The office explained that disrupted supplies of routine vaccines place approximately 72,500 children under one year of age at risk of missing essential vaccinations, increasing their vulnerability to preventable diseases and complications.
In a statement published on 8 November by Taiz health information official Taysir al-Sami'i, he reported 26 deaths and 2,738 measles cases in Taiz Governorate from the beginning of the year through the end of October 2026.
Al-Sami'i warned that infections and deaths among children could increase as immunisation programmes remain disrupted and difficulties persist in delivering vaccines to the target populations.
These figures highlight the simultaneous spread of a highly contagious disease and the disruption of vaccination campaigns intended to prevent it, at a time when healthcare facilities face shortages of fuel and supplies and difficulties reaching population centres.
In a related development, SAM warned of the continued deterioration of sanitation and waste disposal services in Taiz city after restrictions on the movement of waste collection trucks caused rubbish to accumulate in neighbourhoods and stormwater drainage channels.
A video report published by Yemen Shabab TV on 8 November showed piles of waste accumulating in floodwater channels and thick smoke rising from the burning of rubbish near densely populated residential areas.
According to the report, the governorate's Deputy Governor for Health Affairs, Dr. Ilan Abdulhaq, accompanied trucks loaded with waste to the designated disposal site. However, Houthi forces prevented their passage, forcing the responsible authorities to turn the trucks back and search for alternative waste disposal locations.
The report also included testimonies from residents who said that the accumulation and burning of waste near their homes had caused smoke and unpleasant odours to spread, raising fears of illness, particularly among children.
One resident reported that his children and other family members were experiencing symptoms of illness, including diarrhoea, amid the accumulation of waste in a floodwater channel near his home. This testimony describes the residents' suffering but is not, on its own, sufficient to establish an epidemiological diagnosis or determine the medical cause of each case.
Also on 8 November, Al-Masdar Online published video footage showing piles of accumulated rubbish and smoke resulting from its burning, reflecting the continuing environmental crisis and its impact on residential neighbourhoods.
Concerns intensified following the appearance of footage published on 9 November showing accumulated medical waste in the grounds of Al-Jumhouri Hospital in Taiz.
Weekly data from the International Organization for Migration's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), published on 8 November, showed that the number of people recorded as displaced due to the escalation in western Yemen between 1 August and 7 November reached 320,849 individuals, representing 53,468 households.
During the week of 1–7 November alone, the organisation recorded the displacement of 15,930 people, representing 2,655 households, a slight decrease of 0.4% compared with the preceding week, following updates to the records and verification of additional cases.
The cumulative number of people recorded as displaced in the areas covered by the organisation's monitoring between 1 January and 7 November 2026 reached 343,902 individuals, representing 57,312 households. This figure covers a broader reporting period and must not be added to the August–November displacement total.
An examination of displacement movements during the first week of November shows that Lahj Governorate received approximately 50% of newly displaced people, followed by Taiz at 27%, Aden at 9%, and Shabwah at 7%.
Conversely, people originating from Taiz Governorate accounted for 47% of those recorded as displaced during the week, followed by Lahj at 43% and Al-Hudaydah at 6%.
The data indicated that approximately 63% of weekly displacement movements occurred within the same governorate, while 37% involved movement to other governorates. These figures demonstrate the continued movement of families both within their areas of origin and towards more distant host communities.
In Taiz, the districts of Al-Misrakh, Al-Shamayatayn, Sabr al-Mawadim, Jabal Habashi, Al-Wazi'iyah, Al-Makha, and Al-Mudhaffar featured among the main areas of origin for displaced people.
For example, during the reporting week, the organisation recorded the departure of 1,218 people from Al-Misrakh, 1,056 from Al-Shamayatayn, 1,008 from Sabr al-Mawadim, 930 from Jabal Habashi, 726 from Al-Wazi'iyah, and 696 from Al-Makha.
In Lahj, the districts of Tur al-Bahah, Al-Mudaribah wa Ras al-Arah, and Al-Maqatirah were the principal areas of origin. The organisation recorded 3,024 displaced people from Tur al-Bahah, 2,964 from Al-Mudaribah wa Ras al-Arah, and 804 from Al-Maqatirah.
The IOM update highlighted the continued urgent need for food, shelter, and financial assistance among people recorded as displaced during the first week of November.
A total of 6,306 people, or 40%, identified food assistance as their primary need, while 5,334 people, or 33%, considered shelter their main priority. Another 3,558 people, representing 22%, identified financial assistance as their most pressing need.
A further 402 people identified essential non-food items as their primary need, while others cited healthcare services, water, and livelihoods among their immediate priorities.
SAM stressed that these indicators reflect the declining ability of displaced families to secure food and shelter and demonstrate that reaching a safer location does not necessarily mean an end to their suffering or guaranteed access to essential services.
In a rapid protection assessment conducted by IOM teams in Marib Governorate between 1 and 5 November, six displaced households comprising 29 people were assessed. They had arrived from the districts of Al-Makha, Al-Shamayatayn, Al-Ma'afer, and Jabal Habashi in Taiz.
Children accounted for 17 individuals, representing 59% of the assessed household members, while women and girls numbered 14, or 48%.
The findings identified protection concerns among all six households, including overcrowding, lack of privacy, psychological distress, caregiving burdens, and widowhood, alongside risks associated with forced displacement and inadequate shelter conditions.
The assessed households received psychological first aid and crisis counselling, while some members were referred for protection case management services and cash assistance.
SAM clarified that these findings relate to a small, specific sample of households living at displacement sites in Marib and do not represent the prevalence of protection risks among all displaced people in Yemen. Nevertheless, they provide direct insight into the needs faced by some families fleeing Taiz.
The new displacement map published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), updated through 7 November, recorded the arrival of 4,201 people from Yemen in Djibouti and Somalia between 1 August and 7 November.
Of these arrivals, 3,836 reached Djibouti and 365 reached Somalia, indicating that displacement movements have extended beyond Yemen's borders through maritime routes.
The same map showed that Taiz hosted approximately 137,712 internally displaced persons, followed by Lahj with around 80,934 and Aden with approximately 63,702, according to data compiled through 7 November.
These figures point to the continued concentration of internal displacement in southern and western governorates, alongside growing maritime movements towards the Horn of Africa.
SAM clarified that arrivals in Djibouti and Somalia are not included in the total of 320,849 internally displaced people, as they represent cross-border movements rather than internal displacement. The two indicators must therefore be presented separately.
Against the backdrop of the fragility of Yemen's healthcare sector, the World Health Organization (WHO), in a report published on 8 November, highlighted the risks that power outages and fuel shortages pose to operating theatres, intensive care units, and maternal and neonatal care.
The report recounted the case of a child undergoing surgery under general anaesthesia at Sayhut Hospital in Al-Mahrah Governorate when the electricity suddenly failed and the ventilator stopped working. The medical team was forced to ventilate the child manually for nearly 20 minutes until the necessary medical care could resume.
The child recovered, but the anaesthesiologist, Dr. Eid Ashouri, described the incident as a direct reminder of the danger that unstable electricity supplies pose to patients' lives.
WHO also quoted the head of the intensive care unit at Marib Hospital, Najeeb Ali Mohammed al-Dhubhani, who explained that medical teams sometimes had to ventilate critically ill patients manually for hours when electricity failed and generators stopped working.
The World Health Organization explained that, with funding from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, it is supporting a project to equip six hospitals with solar power systems in the governorates of Hajjah, Ibb, Taiz, Al-Mahrah, Marib, and Al-Dhalea.
With a combined capacity of up to 1,566 kilowatts, the project is expected to benefit approximately 935,424 people directly each year, in addition to around 1.6 million indirect beneficiaries.
This information highlights the need to safeguard continuous electricity and fuel supplies in hospitals and provide alternative energy sources for critical facilities, particularly in areas where fuel deliveries may be disrupted or the movement of equipment and services affected.
SAM for Rights and Liberties considers that the incidents witnessed in Taiz Governorate in recent days reveal interconnected patterns of serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that extend beyond direct incidents of killing and injury to undermine civilian protection and deprive residents of the basic necessities of life. Repeated shelling, sniper attacks, and the targeting of civilian vehicles and ambulances, combined with detentions and restrictions on food, medicines, fuel, and essential services, demonstrate that civilians face overlapping threats extending beyond military operations into their daily lives and their ability to survive in a safe environment.
The organisation stresses that Houthi attacks against civilians and vehicles used for civilian transportation, together with gunfire directed at residential areas and public roads, raise serious concerns regarding violations of the principle of distinction between civilians and combatants and the prohibition of direct attacks against civilians, as well as indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks. These concerns are compounded by repeated injuries to children and women in their homes, villages, and while travelling. Such incidents require investigations into the nature of the targets selected, the weapons used, and whether all feasible precautions were taken to avoid civilian harm.
The attack on the ambulance in the Al-Awat area of Sabr al-Mawadim District stands out as one of the most serious violations documented in the recent period, given the special protection afforded under international humanitarian law to the wounded and sick, medical personnel, and medical transports. Opening fire on an ambulance while it is transporting an injured person for treatment, resulting in casualties and disrupting medical evacuation, constitutes an attack on people in need of care and on means intended to save their lives. Deliberately targeting protected medical transports may constitute a war crime where the relevant legal elements are established. This necessitates an independent investigation into the source of the gunfire, the parties that issued the orders, and the circumstances that prevented rescuers from reaching and evacuating the victims.
Regarding detentions, SAM expresses grave concern over reports concerning the detention of a 12-year-old girl, an education professional, and an agricultural worker, as well as the refusal of the detaining authorities to disclose the whereabouts of some of them or allow their families to communicate with them. The organisation emphasises that deprivation of liberty must have a legitimate legal basis and that arbitrary detention or concealment of detainees' whereabouts undermines fundamental protection guarantees and may amount to enforced disappearance where the relevant legal elements are met. The detention of a young girl in the context of an armed conflict also raises particular concerns about her physical and psychological safety and requires the application of enhanced safeguards for children, whose best interests must be a primary consideration in all measures affecting their liberty and security.
The organisation considers that the continuation of the Houthi siege and restrictions on the movement of civilians, goods, and humanitarian supplies raises extremely serious questions of legal responsibility, particularly when such restrictions affect items indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, including food, water, medicines, vaccines, and fuel. International humanitarian law prohibits the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, protects objects indispensable to their survival, and establishes obligations concerning the passage and facilitation of humanitarian relief in accordance with applicable rules. SAM stresses that repeated Houthi restrictions, despite continuing warnings about their humanitarian consequences, require investigations into their nature and objectives, the extent to which those responsible were aware of the foreseeable harm, and whether they constitute the deliberate use of deprivation of essential necessities as a means of exerting military pressure on the population.
The seriousness of these restrictions is particularly evident in the disruption of immunisation programmes in Taiz, where the deprivation of hundreds of thousands of children of vaccines coincides with thousands of recorded measles cases and deaths associated with the disease. SAM considers that obstructing the delivery of vaccines and medical supplies and exposing children to preventable diseases directly undermine the right to health, threaten the right to life, and compromise obligations to provide healthcare to children without discrimination. The continuation of these conditions also increases risks for children under one year of age, displaced families, and populations facing difficulties accessing healthcare facilities. This requires urgent measures to restore and maintain vaccination services.
Similarly, the accumulation of general and medical waste inside Taiz city reveals how the consequences of road restrictions extend to public health and environmental safety. Preventing waste collection trucks from reaching disposal sites, resulting in the accumulation and burning of rubbish near residential areas and medical facilities, exposes residents and healthcare workers to additional risks and threatens to contaminate air, water, and soil and contribute to the spread of disease. SAM stresses that maintaining sanitation, wastewater management, and safe medical waste disposal services is an essential component of public health protection, and that disrupting these services amid the siege further increases the vulnerability of the population and compounds the harm suffered by civilians.
The continuing increase in displacement also reflects the expanding humanitarian consequences of military operations and restrictions imposed on affected areas. Families are being forced to leave their homes and sources of livelihood and move to locations that frequently lack adequate shelter, healthcare, food, water, and protection. The organisation stresses that protecting displaced people requires respecting civilians' right to leave dangerous areas, safeguarding them against unlawful forcible displacement, and ensuring their access to humanitarian assistance without discrimination, while creating the conditions necessary for their voluntary, safe, and dignified return when circumstances permit. The circumstances of female-headed households, unaccompanied children, persons with disabilities, and older people also require specific protection measures tailored to their needs and vulnerabilities.
SAM concludes that the documented violations give rise to direct responsibility on the part of the Houthi group for acts committed by its forces and require independent and effective investigations extending beyond the identification of those who physically carried out the attacks to examine chains of command, orders issued, and decisions that allowed violations to continue. The organisation emphasises that individual criminal responsibility may extend to commanders who ordered or supervised crimes, or who knew of their commission and failed to take the necessary measures to prevent them or punish those responsible, where the applicable legal conditions are met. It further stresses that accountability requires preserving evidence, protecting witnesses and victims, and guaranteeing the rights of affected individuals and their families to know the truth, access justice, and obtain effective remedies and reparations, in order to prevent further violations and bring an end to impunity.
SAM for Rights and Liberties condemns in the strongest terms Houthi attacks against civilians, medical transport vehicles, and civilian vehicles, as well as sniper attacks, detentions, and restrictions that obstruct access to essential services.
The organisation calls for an immediate end to these attacks, the lifting of the siege and unlawful restrictions imposed on roads and supplies, and guaranteed freedom of movement for civilians, patients, and humanitarian assistance.
It also calls for an urgent and independent investigation into the attack on the ambulance in the Al-Awat area on 8 November, the identification of all victims and clarification of their fate, the preservation of medical, physical, and digital evidence, and accountability for those responsible for the attack, including those who ordered or supervised its execution.
SAM demands the immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of the detained girl from Al-Hawjalah, education professional Mohammed Abduljalil al-Mujahid, and the agricultural worker detained in Al-Dhabab. It calls for guarantees of their safety, access to communication with their families, and the release of all those arbitrarily detained.
In the health sector, the organisation calls for the urgent resumption of measles and rubella immunisation campaigns, guaranteed delivery of routine vaccines to children under one year of age, and the provision of the necessary storage, transportation, and cold-chain equipment. It also urges strengthened measles surveillance and effective responses to suspected and confirmed cases.
The organisation further demands that powdered milk, baby diapers, medical supplies, and food products be allowed to pass without unlawful restrictions, that obstacles preventing goods transport and waste collection trucks from carrying out their functions be removed, and that the safe disposal of medical and general waste be ensured.
SAM urges the United Nations and its humanitarian agencies, particularly the World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration, to expand their emergency response to the needs of children, displaced people, patients, and affected families, and to provide the necessary support for food, shelter, water, healthcare, and psychosocial protection.
The organisation also calls for stronger monitoring, investigation, and accountability mechanisms, guarantees that victims and their families can access the truth, justice, and reparations, and an end to the continued attacks on ambulances and civilian objects without accountability.
In concluding its briefing, SAM for Rights and Liberties emphasises that the targeting of an ambulance while transporting an injured person, injuries to children and women on roads and in residential areas, the detention of civilians and a young girl, disruption of vaccine and food supplies, accumulation of waste in neighbourhoods and hospitals, and displacement affecting hundreds of thousands of people all point to an interconnected human rights and humanitarian crisis requiring an urgent response that goes beyond statements of condemnation.
Protecting civilians and medical personnel, ending Houthi violations, lifting the siege on Taiz, restoring immunisation and public health services, ensuring access for humanitarian assistance, investigating violations, and holding those responsible accountable are obligations that cannot be delayed. They are urgent necessities for safeguarding the lives and dignity of the population and bringing an end to impunity.