Human Rights Watch accused the Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces of violating the rights of Taiz residents to water since the Houthis laid siege on Taiz city in 2015, creating a desperate situation.
In a 45-page report released today HRW found that parties to the conflict in Yemen have significantly exacerbated the area’s water crisis.
The report concluded the “The Houthis have weaponized water in Taiz by blocking water from flowing into Yemeni government-controlled Taiz city, while Yemeni government-affiliated military forces have previously sold public water supplies to residents for their own profit.”
“Residents of Taiz have been suffering for the last eight years, as parties to the conflict have made it nearly impossible for them to access clean, affordable water,” said Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch.
He added “Water should not be used as a weapon of war, and the Houthis and the Yemeni government should take immediate action to allow more water to enter the public water network.”
Human Rights Watch interviewed 25 people between May and September 2023, including Taizz civilians; representatives of the Taiz Local Water and Sanitation Corporation (TLWSC), which manages and maintains Taiz’s urban water supply and sewage treatment; Yemeni civil society organizations; international nongovernmental organizations; and United Nations agencies.
Human Rights Watch also reviewed and analyzed documents provided by the water agency and by the UN Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene cluster, as well as dozens of reports and assessments detailing Taiz’s water availability and access to water both before and after the start of the conflict.
On November 2, 2023, Human Rights Watch wrote to the Houthi rebels authorities and the Yemeni government about its findings. Houthi authorities replied on November 20, rejecting Human Rights Watch’s findings and stating that they were biased.
The shortage of safe and sufficient drinking water, and lack of adequate sanitation has also contributed to the spread of water-borne illnesses and disease, such as a 2017 cholera outbreak in Taizz that killed over 2,000 people.