Road closures around Yemen’s Taiz drive fuel shortages and food price rises

Taiz, Yemen, faced renewed supply disruption on 10 October 2026 after Houthi advances cut a main road linking the city to government-held areas. Residents reported scarce fuel and rising food prices, while local officials sought help to reopen safe routes for civilians and essential goods. The duration of the closures and their full effect on supplies remain unclear.

The immediate change was the capture of al-Turbah, south of Taiz, by 4 October, according to Al Jazeera. The town lies on the remaining main road from the city to other government-held territory. The Associated Press separately reported the Houthi seizure of Turbah as part of a wider offensive and said earlier advances had raised the prospect of encircling Taiz.

Which routes into Taiz have closed?

Al Jazeera reported that fighting also closed an eastern crossing reopened in 2024, citing security sources who said Houthi fighters had attempted incursions there. Much of the city’s food had entered through that crossing, the report said. Fuel had previously reached the city from Aden through the al-Turbah route. These accounts identify major disrupted routes, but do not establish that every route or supply channel into Taiz is closed.

The road losses followed Houthi gains along the Red Sea coast in September. Al Jazeera reported that the group took Mocha and Dhubab before pressing into the countryside around Taiz. Government forces backed by Saudi Arabia began a counteroffensive in early October and regained some territory, but fighting continued near the city. AP reported that Yemen’s internationally recognized government was mobilizing forces and had announced an operation to recover territory.

What are residents paying for fuel and food?

A separate Al Jazeera Net field report published on 9 October described closed fuel stations and black-market sales. Its reporter accompanied Omar Mohammed Ali as he searched for petrol for the motorcycle that provides his income; he said he had looked since morning without finding any. The report quoted prices of 4,000 new Yemeni rials for a 750-millilitre bottle and 6,000 rials for a litre.

A Taiz statistics-office director told Al Jazeera Net that, over four days, potatoes had risen from 1,000 to 2,000 new rials per kilogram and flour from 38,000 to 57,000 rials. Pharmacy owners told the outlet that medicine prices had risen by no more than 5% so far. The figures suggest uneven effects across products and are attributed observations rather than independently audited market data.

How many people could be affected?

Nabil Jamil, Taiz governorate’s planning and development director, told Al Jazeera that about 2.8 million people lived in government-held parts of the governorate and that another 200,000 had recently been displaced by fighting on the coast and in rural areas. He warned that the siege would worsen living conditions. These are local official estimates; the displacement figure does not establish how many people are currently in the city.

Al Jazeera Net quoted a statistics-office director estimating that roughly 20,000 families had fled front-line areas, or about 140,000 people using the official’s average household size. The same official estimated that road closures affected about 2.8 million people in government-held districts. The reports use different measures and geographic scopes, so their displacement figures should not be treated as matching counts.

Residents have reason to fear a prolonged closure. Taiz endured a severe Houthi siege in 2015 and 2016, according to Al Jazeera, before pro-government forces retook territory to the south. Resident Iskandar Abdullah recalled shortages of drinking water, food, fuel and medicine during that period. His recollection explains the concern now, without establishing that the current closure will last as long.

What happens next for access to Taiz?

Jamil said Taiz authorities had written to the United Nations seeking assistance with safe civilian routes and access for food and medicine. He told Al Jazeera they were still awaiting a response or intervention on the ground. The available reports do not establish that the UN has responded or that a route has since reopened.

Nabil Sharyan, a lawyer who heads the Justice for Rights and Development Organization, warned Al Jazeera that movement restrictions would affect patients, students, workers and families travelling within and beyond the governorate. Continued fighting leaves the immediate question of road access unresolved, while the reported prices and population estimates show why any sustained disruption matters to residents.