Women in the beleaguered city of Taiz have staged a protest movement, demanding an urgent restoration of basic services, with the critical scarcity of water at the forefront of their grievances. Dozens of women gathered on Saturday in a powerful demonstration mirroring similar women-led protests that have swept through Aden and neighboring governorates in recent weeks.

The scene outside the "temporary" local authority building was one of palpable frustration and anger. Protesters vociferously condemned the dire state of public services and the perceived paralysis of local governance. Their appeals were directed straight to the top: the Governor of Taiz and Rashad Al-Alimi, head of the Presidential Leadership Council, urging an immediate end to the suffering in a city that has endured immense sacrifices in the ongoing conflict against Houthi forces.

The visual symbols of the protest underscored the desperation. Participants carried empty water containers, stark reminders of the city's thirst, alongside angry placards decrying Taiz's descent into "zero services." Beyond the critical lack of clean water, protesters highlighted the systemic collapse of electricity, education, and health services, with city streets now resembling sprawling garbage dumps.

A central point of contention was the local authorities' alleged neglect and inaction, particularly their failure to address the severe water crisis. Women on the ground reported that the price of a single water tanker has skyrocketed to an astronomical 70,000 Yemeni Riyals, rendering it unaffordable for many.

A "Baran Press" correspondent captured compelling video interviews with several women at the protest, who articulated their motivations for taking to the streets. Their accounts revealed profound dissatisfaction with the local authority's handling of the widespread service degradation and outlined a clear list of demands for immediate action.

This burgeoning movement in Taiz follows a wave of similar women-led demonstrations that have recently swept through Aden, the country's interim capital, and other southern Yemeni governorates. Those protests have consistently called for improved services, a halt to the Yemeni currency's precipitous collapse, and fundamental solutions to the pervasive electricity crisis – grievances that now resonate with amplified force in the embattled city of Taiz.