# Women in Yemen's Taiz Begin Buying Weapons for Pro-Government Forces

> Women in the besieged Yemeni city of Taiz have shifted from providing humanitarian aid to actively procuring weapons and ammunition for pro-government fighters, a change that intensified in early October 2026.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-25T08:54:13.981167Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/women-in-yemen-s-taiz-begin-buying-weapons-for-pro-government-forces-f2c8a75a

Women in Taiz, Yemen, began buying weapons and ammunition for pro-government forces in early October 2026, shifting from their previous role of providing humanitarian aid [4][10][11]. This change follows a Houthi blockade and a major ground assault in September 2026, which ended a four-year truce [4][6]. By October 23, 2026, more than 800,000 people in Taiz were cut off from aid [4][10][11].

This development shows the desperate measures civilians are taking to defend their city against ongoing conflict and a humanitarian blockade. The actions of these women highlight the difficult situation and resilience within besieged Taiz, demonstrating the wider impact of prolonged war on civilian populations.

## What the records show

Records show that women in Taiz initially provided humanitarian support by baking goods for frontline combatants [4][14]. By October 2026, their efforts shifted to purchasing firearms and ammunition, a response to the city's encirclement [4][10][11]. The Women's Department of the Supreme Council for Popular Resistance in Taiz Governorate launched the "Equipment for Liberation and Dignity" campaign on October 8, 2026 [4][14]. This campaign seeks to gather 10,000 Kalashnikovs and 10 million rounds of ammunition for 10,000 fighters [4][10][11]. The initiative is described as a "national duty" and is supported by donations from local residents and Yemeni expatriates [4][10][11]. Some donations have included personal items like wedding rings [4][10][11].

## The timeline

A four-year truce ended in September 2026 with a Houthi ground assault [4][6]. This attack led to a blockade of Taiz [4][6][7]. Houthi forces completed the encirclement of Taiz City in early October 2026, severing the last ground line of communication by October 6 [7][9]. The "Equipment for Liberation and Dignity" campaign started on October 8, 2026 [4][14]. By October 23, 2026, over 800,000 Taiz residents were cut off from aid [4][10][11]. Aid workers warned by October 21, 2026, that the city was running out of water, fuel, and fresh food [8].

## What changed and for whom

The role of women in Taiz has changed significantly from traditional support roles to direct material contributions for military operations [4][10][11]. This change was prompted by the city's increasing isolation and severe humanitarian crisis [4][6][7]. The population of Taiz faced critical shortages of essential supplies [4][8]. Nayef al-Bakri, Yemen's Minister of Youth and Sports, praised the "exceptional resilience and loyalty" of Taiz's people, including women, acknowledging their sacrifices [5].

## What the subject has said publicly

Yemeni government officials have publicly recognized and commended these contributions from women in Taiz [4][10][11]. Nayef al-Bakri, Yemen's Minister of Youth and Sports and head of the Committee for Popular Mobilization and Government Support for the Armed Forces, specifically highlighted the women of Taiz for their sacrifices against the siege and Houthi attacks [5]. He noted that images showed women purchasing weapons for the resistance [5].

## What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the exact number of women involved in weapon procurement or the total funds raised for the "Equipment for Liberation and Dignity" campaign. The precise methods for distributing the acquired weapons and ammunition to pro-government forces also remain unconfirmed.

## Evidence cited
1. Yemen: End Women’s Exclusion from Public Life – Human Rights Watch (hrw.org) — https://hrw.org/
2. Baking for the front lines: Yemeni women revive wartime support for fighters (Middle East Eye) — https://middleeasteye.net/
3. Yemeni Women Play Active Role in Building State, Society - SabaNet (sabanew.net) — https://sabanew.net/
4. Independent Press (Independent Press) — https://independentpress.cc/
5. UN sounds alarm on besieged Yemen city Taiz (Arab News) — https://arabnews.com/
6. Women and girls in Taiz face dire humanitarian crisis as conflict escalates - CARE (CARE) — https://care.org/
7. A City Sealed Off from the Outside World. Taiz has been under Houthi siege since the spring of 2015, but a more complete encirclement locked into place in early October 2026 when rebel forces closed what had been the last functioning overland connection to government-held territory. (Latin Times) — https://latintimes.com/
8. Water and fresh food running out in Taiz as fighting intensifies and Houthi advance cuts off most supply routes | Yemen (The Guardian) — https://theguardian.com/
9. IRAN UPDATE, OCTOBER 13, 2026 (Critical Threats) — https://criticalthreats.org/
10. United Nations (United Nations) — https://un.org/
11. Al Jazeera (Al Jazeera) — https://aljazeera.com/
12. Democracy Now (Democracy Now) — https://democracynow.org/
13. Tob News (Tob News) — https://tob.news/
14. Perempuan di Taiz, Yaman, Galang Dana Beli Senjata untuk Lawan Houthi | Kompas.com (YouTube) — https://youtube.com/
15. Global Voice Live (Global Voice Live) — https://globalvoicelive.com/
16. Al Mahriah (Al Mahriah) — https://almahriah.net/
17. Yemen Monitor (Yemen Monitor) — https://yemenmonitor.com/
18. UN Women highlights Yemeni women’s role in peacebuilding amid ongoing crisis (UN Women) — https://unwomen.org/
19. The crucial role of Yemeni women in peace-building - European Commission (europa.eu) — https://europa.eu/
20. The role of women in conflict resolution and peacebuilding in Yemen (cmi.fi) — https://cmi.fi/