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In a statement issued in early November, the Saudi-backed Yemeni Presidential Command Council described Taiz Governorate as “at the heart” of the internationally recognized government’s battle to defeat the Iran-backed Houthi group.
This governorate, located in southwestern Yemen, was a major battlefield throughout the Yemeni war, and today it is at the forefront of the new fighting.
The BBC Media Monitoring Unit provides a reading about the importance of the governorate in the ongoing fighting and what the city and its residents have been experiencing since the beginning of the crisis.
What happened in Taiz during the Yemeni conflict?
The Ansar Allah group imposed a siege on the city of Taiz in April 2015, shortly after the Saudi-led coalition supporting the Yemeni government launched a military intervention against the group.
The city remained a stronghold for the government, as its forces maintained control over it despite the Houthi siege that lasted for more than a decade.
Taiz has witnessed some of the worst violence of the conflict, with civilians subjected to sniper attacks and bombing.
Taiz Governorate and its city once again became the focus of clashes between rival forces with the resumption of fighting after more than four years of relative calm.
Following the Houthi advance on the Red Sea coast in September, the group sought to isolate Taiz from the temporary capital, Aden.
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What is the importance of Taiz to the warring parties?
Taiz Governorate occupies a strategic location on the Red Sea coast, linking the governorates under Houthi control in the north and the southern governorates under government control.
The city of Taiz is the third largest city in the country, with an estimated population of more than 600 thousand people.
The city of Mokha in Taiz Governorate is a major port city located about 75 kilometers north of the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait - the southern gateway to the Red Sea.
The Ansar Allah group's seizure of Mokha in September was part of a broader offensive during which its forces took control of strategically important territory on the Red Sea coast.
The two sides continued to fight to control the road linking Taiz and Aden, which includes a strategic mountain range overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
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What did the warring parties say about the battle to control Taiz?
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Following the advance of rebel forces on the Red Sea coast in September, a military expert quoted by the Houthi-controlled Al-Thawra newspaper saw full control of Taiz as the next stage of the group's operations.
In its coverage of the battle of Taiz, Houthi media downplayed the authority and role of the Yemeni government, and portrayed Saudi Arabia as the group’s main opponent in the city.
One report indicated that the city is actually under Saudi control, and that it is a stronghold of the Muslim Brotherhood, which operates according to orders it receives from Riyadh.
Members of the Islah Party, affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, form the backbone of the pro-government forces fighting the Houthis in Taiz.
On November 9, the Houthis' "September 26" website published an opinion article addressed to the residents of Taiz, calling on them not to be influenced by what the writer said were attempts to portray the battle over the city as a "sectarian conflict."
The writer rejected the government based in Aden as a "puppet administration" subject to Riyadh, and said that the Houthis are fighting "the hegemony and ambitions of the Saudi enemy."
He also urged the residents of Taiz not to allow what he described as the "trumpets of the Saudi enemy" to spread the "poison of sectarianism" among them.
The Yemeni government and its Saudi backer view the Shiite Houthi group as an agent of Iran.
The Presidential Command Council said in early November that it was making progress a month after the launch of Operation “Yemen Dawn” against the Houthis, to achieve the goal of “re-establishing sovereignty over the entire territory of the nation.”
The statement made special mention of Taiz, but stopped short of announcing significant progress in the governorate, and merely praised the forces fighting the rebels and the “resilience” of the residents of the besieged city.
Two sources told Reuters in early November that the Houthis had advanced to within 80 kilometers of Aden, the temporary seat of the Yemeni government.
What about the siege?
The Yemeni government and its loyal media focused on the humanitarian repercussions of the Houthi siege imposed on the city of Taiz.
The governor of Taiz warned in mid-October that the city was facing “the greatest humanitarian disaster in history” due to the ongoing siege, and said later in the same month that its residents were effectively living in a state of famine.
In contrast, Houthi media and group officials focused on civilian casualties resulting from the bombing of rival forces.
During a press conference held on October 22 to mark what the Houthis said was 100 days since Saudi Arabia renewed its “aggression” against Yemen, their Ministry of Health said that about a third of the victims it recorded were in Taiz Governorate.
On October 20, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called on the Houthis to allow aid into Taiz, warning of a human rights disaster if they did not do so.
He said that the Houthis closed the only supply route linking the city to Aden, cutting off basic supplies.
The United Nations indicated that there are restrictions on safe access to water and basic goods through the Dhubab area.
On the other hand, the Houthi authorities confirmed that all the main roads leading to and leaving Taiz that are under their control are open.
In mid-October, the World Food Program said it was unable to reach more than 600,000 people in Taiz who depend on humanitarian aid, including more than 200,000 women and children.
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