From Cookies to Cash for Ammunition: Yemeni Women in Taiz Rally to Defend Their City

In the besieged southwestern Yemeni city of Taiz, women who initially organized food deliveries for government forces have expanded their efforts to raise funds for weapons and ammunition as Houthi fighters intensify their siege. These spontaneous initiatives emerged following the resumption of fighting in early September between Saudi-backed government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the western Taiz governorate.

Initially, women volunteers united to bake cookies for soldiers on the front lines. Amira al-Saghir, an activist involved in the campaign, stated the goal was "to strengthen the relationship between the supportive social base and the members of the national army and pro-government popular resistance forces stationed at the front lines in defence of their besieged city, which is subjected to daily shelling in preparation for an invasion." The cookie-baking initiative garnered significant participation from women volunteers and received encouragement on social media. This coincided with a broader community effort to supply fighters with essential food, necessities, and weapons, with contributions coming from various districts and villages across the governorate.

In Yemen, a conservative and impoverished nation, most women do not actively participate in the civil war that began in 2014. However, these initiatives provide a means for women to contribute to what they perceive as the defense of their city against an invading force and to support the men fighting on their behalf.

After nearly four years of relative peace following a UN-brokered truce in April 2022, Houthi forces launched a major ground offensive in western Taiz in early September. The group rapidly advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, capturing the strategic port city of Mocha on September 10 and expanding their control around the vital Bab al-Mandeb strait. The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, subsequently moved towards other areas of Taiz governorate, seizing key routes into the provincial capital and effectively encircling the city. Government forces have since initiated counteroffensives, though control over some areas remains contested. The renewed siege has severely limited the movement of people and essential supplies into Taiz, leading to shortages of food, fuel, and medicine.

As the conflict escalated, the women's efforts evolved. What began with baking cookies and organizing food convoys gradually shifted towards efforts to purchase ammunition for the fighters. Women involved in these initiatives told Al Jazeera they felt compelled to act due to the imminent threat of their city falling to the Houthis. This change was partly driven by the fall of more rural districts to the Houthis, leading some donors to stipulate that a portion of their contributions be used for ammunition. Al-Saghir believes that information and criticism on social media, suggesting a lack of sufficient ammunition for government fighters in Taiz, encouraged this shift.

The initiatives quickly gained momentum, attracting more women. Humanitarian activist Huriya Wabel expressed, "After we saw that those [Houthi] militias … are waging a war of extermination against our city, we felt that we had to take a serious stand to support the army, not just with food and clothing, but with weapons as well, especially since a siege has been imposed on Taiz and supplies can no longer reach it easily." She added, "We also found many civilians who wanted to participate in the fighting alongside the army in defence of the city, but they did not have weapons. So it became incumbent upon us to help by focusing more of our activities on this aspect at this stage."

Khadija al-Majidi, a local activist, has been collecting donations for weapons and food for government forces in Taiz. She views the transition from providing humanitarian aid to delivering military equipment as a direct response to the escalating threat to Taiz. "When the enemy reaches the gates of your city and imposes a complete siege on it in preparation for storming it by force, and everyone in it – including you, your children, and members of your family – is threatened with being killed, captured, or displaced … then what do you expect from us?" al-Majidi asked. "Did you expect us to carry flowers for the criminal who came from the farthest reaches of the country to destroy our city and kill us?"

Al-Majidi recently returned from the front lines near Jabal Sabir, the mountain overlooking Taiz from the south. She had made her second trip that day to deliver ammunition, valued at $3,000, along with winter clothing, shoes, food, and other necessities to the commander on the front. After more than a decade of living through Yemen's devastating war, she stated she no longer feared visiting active battlefronts. "Repeated visits to the front lines play a major role in removing fears, given what we see on the ground of the heroes’ courage and bravery in defending the city and their confidence in victory," she added.

As fundraising efforts expand, the women’s department of Taiz’s Supreme Council for Popular Resistance launched a campaign on October 8, aiming to equip 10,000 pro-government fighters with rifles and ammunition. The council has appealed for contributions from Yemenis both domestically and abroad. This campaign reflects the ongoing fighting in Taiz, where government forces face daily Houthi attacks while attempting their own counter-attacks. The prolonged siege exacerbates the military and humanitarian crisis within the city.

Al-Saghir and al-Majidi both noted that while many donations come from Yemenis living abroad, locals are also contributing what they can, despite the severe humanitarian crisis in Taiz. Al-Saghir mentioned one woman whose husband was fighting in the army donated her wedding ring, while al-Majidi shared stories of women donating their gold jewelry. Al-Majidi recalled a woman arriving with envelopes of Yemeni and Saudi currency, inscribed with the message, "God willing, we will win. Buy ammunition for the heroes with this."