“Death Is More Merciful Than This Life”: People In Yemen Suffering Everyday

People in Yemen are suffering everyday because of the intense fighting between warring parties. Houthi and Yemeni government forces have violated human rights in Yemen. People in Taiz, a city in southwestern Yemen, are most affected by the fighting between the two parties, according to a report.

According to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, warring parties deepened the water crisis in Taiz. The two parties violated Taizz residents’ right to water since the Houthi militia siege on Taizz city in 2015. 

Human Rights Watch published a 45-page report titled, “Death is More Merciful Than This Life”: Houthi and Yemeni Government Violations of the Right to Water in Taizz”, to highlight the plight of Taizz residents. 

Human rights violations in Taizz

According to HRW, Houthi militia has weaponized water in the city of Taizz by blocking water from flowing into Yemeni government-controlled Taizz city. The Yemeni government-affiliated military forces have previously sold public water supplies to residents for their own profit, which is a blow to human rights.

Niku Jafarnia, Yemen and Bahrain researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in the report, “Residents of Taizz 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.”

HRW accused the warring parties of using water as a weapon of war. The researcher said, “Houthis and the Yemeni government should take immediate action to allow more water to enter the public water network.”

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Yemen is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world. Water scarcity has affected people in Yemen. Many people lack access to safe water and sanitation. 

According to the United Nations, 15.3 million Yemenis—more than half the population—do not have access to sufficient water. Residents rely on the very limited water, which is not sufficient for daily use. 

An internally displaced person living in Taizz told Human Rights Watch, “My only dream is to buy a 1,000-liter tank to fill with water and forget this daily suffering.”

Human rights violations committed by the Houthi militia against civilians have increased rapidly in Yemen. According to the UN, 2000 children recruited by Houthi rebels died on the battlefield between January 2020 and May 2021.