Fuel shortages in Yemen's besieged city of Taiz have forced one hospital to cut the number of incubators it can operate from 40 to 10, putting newborn babies at risk as weeks of fighting choke off vital supplies, Reuters reported from Geneva on Monday, 26 October.

Source: Reuters

"There's no oxygen, there's no fuel to run the incubators, to keep the babies warm," said Nada Ahmed, a nurse in the neonatal unit of the Yemeni-Swedish Hospital for Maternity and Childhood, Reuters reported. Nawal Najeeb, a supervisor in the neonatal unit, warned the facility could be forced to halt operations if fuel supplies do not arrive: "It will be a catastrophe for the babies, a catastrophe of deaths and disabilities."

Source: Reuters

Taiz has been largely isolated since October 3, with fighting preventing humanitarian supplies from entering and civilians from leaving, following an escalation in clashes between the Saudi-backed government and the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, Reuters said. Key supply routes, including the Taiz-Aden corridor, have been blocked by Houthi forces, worsening shortages of water, food and fuel. The city hosts nearly half of the 250,000 people displaced by the latest fighting, according to the United Nations.

Source: Reuters

The strain reaches beyond the neonatal ward. Oxfam Yemen's policy, advocacy and media manager Fatma Jaffar Shotah told Reuters one dialysis patient now has to spend two nights at a healthcare centre rather than travelling home between sessions, because the journey's cost has risen from half a dollar to around $10. "Fuel shortage inside the city is having catastrophic impacts on people's lives," she said. Aid reporting summarised by Zark News added that the World Food Programme says more than 800,000 people have been cut off from food assistance in Taiz and surrounding areas, and UNICEF says 52,000 of the 168,000 children screened in Taiz so far this year are acutely malnourished, including more than 11,500 severely.

Source: Reuters; Zark News summary of WFP and UNICEF figures