The government team responsible for opening the crossings to Taiz, under the legitimate Yemeni government, has presented a new proposal to open 5 routes that will help end the suffering of millions of residents in the city besieged for nearly 8 years by the Houthi group.
Member of the team, Nabil Jamel, said that the proposals came after some Taiz figures contacted the local authority with an initiative to open one road.
Jamel told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government's proposal to open 5 routes to Taiz was coordinated with the local authority and the presidency, with the aim of alleviating the humanitarian suffering of the citizens and facilitating access after 8 years of siege.
The team has confirmed their readiness to discuss coordination mechanisms for receiving and facilitating the movement of citizens entering or leaving the city. They proposed the establishment of joint committees to address any potential challenges upon the opening of the routes. This initiative serves as a direct response to the fabricated claims made by the Houthi militia, falsely accusing the government team of rejecting the opening of certain routes.
The team stressed that it always reassured the international community and the UN Sec-Gen Special Envoy that the siege of Taiz is a purely humanitarian issue, asserting that the Houthi militia refuses to open the roads of Taiz.
In his remarks, Jamel explained that the proposal submitted by the negotiation committee to open the roads was presented to some social figures of Taiz who live in Sanaa under militia control.
According to Jamel, Some officials contacted the local authority, including Governor Nabil Shamsan offering an initiative to open the roads.
Jamal pointed out that the committee is coordinating with the Presidency regarding the roads that must be opened after consultations and discussions with the Houthi group in Riyadh.
Yemeni Ambassador Mohammad Al Jaber previously stated that opening Taiz roads and ending the blockade was on the agenda of the consultations.
However, a member of the government team responsible for opening the Taiz crossings pointed out that they are well aware of the "stubbornness and evasiveness" practiced by the Houthi group regarding the routes to Taiz, asserting that "our initiatives are consistent and coordinated with the government and the presidency."
Jamel criticized the international community and the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen for not pressuring the Houthi group to open Taiz crossings and roads.
He asserted that, unfortunately, the international community and the office of the UN envoy did not exert sufficient pressure to force the Houthi to open the roads in Taiz but instead went to pressure the legitimate government to open Hodeidah port and increase the number of flights from Sanaa airport.
Tensions eased in Taiz after the arrival of the first fuel tankers from the city's western side towards the port of Mocha on the Red Sea in March 2023. They carried 25 tons of cooking gas via the al-Mokha - al-Kadha" road.
About eight years ago, the Houthi militia imposed a siege on Taiz, Yemen's most densely populated city, after it closed the al-Hawban-Aden Road.
Residents and merchants resorted to rugged roads like Haijat al-Abed Road from the city's southern side.
The Houthi militia rejected all international efforts and proposals to lift the siege on the city during the past months, despite obtaining many gains, including the flow of imports to the Hodeidah ports and the operation of commercial flights from Sanaa Airport.
The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) inaugurated in May 2022 a project to rehabilitate the Haijat al-Abed that connects Taiz with Lahj and Aden. The 9km road is vital to more than five million Yemenis, with a length of approximately 9 kilometers.
