Women in Besieged Taiz Raise Funds for Arms and Ammunition to Defend City
Women in the southwestern Yemeni city of Taiz have expanded community support from baking cookies to buying weapons for fighters resisting a tightening Houthi siege.
At a glance
- Following a renewed Houthi offensive in September, women in Taiz shifted from baking food for troops to purchasing arms and ammunition.
- The Houthi siege has cut key access routes to Taiz, causing severe shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies in the city.
- A resistance council initiative launched in October aims to equip 10,000 pro-government fighters using local and diaspora donations.
Women in the southwestern Yemeni city of Taiz have begun raising funds to purchase weapons and ammunition for pro-government forces, following a major Houthi offensive launched in early September that has effectively encircled the city.
The grassroots campaigns initially started as community-led support networks, with female volunteers baking cookies and delivering meals to soldiers stationed along front-line outposts. However, as Houthi fighters seized surrounding districts—including the strategic Red Sea port of Mocha on September 10—and cut vital access corridors into the provincial capital, the volunteer efforts shifted toward supplying military equipment.
Shifting From Food to Firepower
Local organizers explained that the transition occurred as the prospect of an outright takeover intensified. Activist Amira al-Saghir noted that reports of front-line ammunition shortages shared across social media prompted contributors to request that their donations be allocated directly to munitions rather than just food.
Humanitarian activist Huriya Wabel stated that the siege made acquiring weaponry an urgent priority, particularly because many willing civilian defenders lacked arms. Another organizer, Khadija al-Majidi, reported delivering thousands of dollars worth of ammunition directly to commanders stationed around the southern heights of Jabal Sabir, alongside winter clothing, shoes, and provisions.
Broad Community Mobilization
On October 8, the women’s department of Taiz’s Supreme Council for Popular Resistance launched an effort aiming to supply 10,000 pro-government fighters with rifles and ammunition. The campaign gathers contributions from Yemenis living abroad as well as besieged residents within the city, with some local women donating gold jewelry and wedding rings to finance the defense.
The renewed blockade has sharply restricted the flow of people and commercial goods, causing severe shortages of fuel, medicine, and food across the urban center. Despite the worsening conditions and continuous shelling, organizers emphasize that providing ammunition to front-line positions remains critical to preventing the city from falling.
Source: Al Jazeera.
Questions and answers
- Why are women in Taiz raising money for weapons?
- Women began funding ammunition after advancing Houthi forces surrounded Taiz, leaving front-line government defenders facing critical supply shortages.
- What did the women's initiatives in Taiz initially provide?
- Volunteers initially organized food convoys and baked cookies to build ties with and support soldiers stationed along the front lines.
- What is the goal of the popular resistance campaign in Taiz?
- A campaign launched on October 8 by the women’s department of the local resistance council aims to supply 10,000 fighters with rifles and ammunition.
