Hospitals and families in Yemen's Taiz face worsening shortages as road closures and insecurity disrupt deliveries, with prices for the food and fuel still available more than doubling, a United Nations official said Oct. 20.
United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen Laurent Bukera said shortages threaten hospital power and medical oxygen, putting hundreds of patients at risk. The city's water production has fallen by half, he said, leaving hundreds of thousands of families struggling to obtain water.
Bukera urged Houthi authorities to allow commercial shipments and humanitarian aid into Taiz. The United Nations and its partners are working to bring essential goods and medical supplies into the city. The World Health Organization previously estimated that 12 Taiz hospitals had about four days of fuel.
In a separate Oct. 20 announcement, Britain's Ministry of Defence said Royal Air Force Typhoon jets will fly missions to protect Saudi cities and infrastructure from aerial attacks. The jets will not strike Houthi targets in Yemen, the ministry said.
Britain's extension of refueling support for Saudi operations has a different scope. The ministry said the operations receiving that support can include action against Houthi military targets in Yemen. It also plans to provide an A400M transport aircraft and military advisers to Saudi Arabia. The ministry said rising violence in the Gulf could disrupt energy supplies and increase living costs in Britain.
Also on Oct. 20, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and French President Emmanuel Macron witnessed the exchange of a strategic defense partnership framework in Abu Dhabi. Their governments also exchanged an agreement on arrangements for the defense industry. In remarks published Oct. 21, Macron separately described a common strategy for the fifth generation of Rafale fighter jets.
