RANYA ABDULLAH

Yemen - The women joining the protest held in the city of Taiz, southwest of Yemen, on May 17, demanded the Houthis to lift the siege on the city and open the main roads.

Human rights activist Dalia Muhammad, one of the protesters, spoke to NuJINHA and said, “We are here to protest the eight-year siege on our city and to condemn the silence of the United Nations, which recognized the government.” She sent a message to the UN envoy for Yemen by saying, “They are facing a difficult humanitarian choice. The UN has a responsibility to open the main roads of Sanaa Airport and Taiz.”

“Women have been paying high prices”

“For eight years, women have been paying high prices due to the siege imposed on the city of Taiz. The women of Taiz face difficulties in the city or while travelling outside the city. They cannot visit their relatives living outside of Taiz,” another protester Abeer Abdullah told NuJINHA.

The people participating in the protest released a statement calling on the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council to “fulfill its responsibilities for stopping the tragedy faced by the civilians, stopping all forms of negotiation with militias, lifting the siege on the city of Taiz.” The statement also called on the international community and organizations to take initiative to lift the siege imposed on the city.