Residents of Taiz, Yemen face a critical housing crisis that compels many to settle in neighborhoods adjacent to active conflict zones, despite the significant risks posed by sniper fire and ongoing military activity.
Um Yousef, a single mother of four, exhausted her options after eight months searching for affordable housing. With market rents around $130 monthly for a three-bedroom residence far exceeding her means, she accepted a home near the front line for approximately $13 per month. Shortly after relocating in January 2025, her 11-year-old son was shot while playing outside, though he recovered after hospitalization. According to UN monitoring data, Taiz accounted for 66 percent of civilian casualties from sniper incidents in Yemen last year, with nine of 21 recorded cases involving children.
The housing shortage stems from extensive war damage and economic collapse. Taiz governorate, home to nearly 4.5 million people, has experienced destruction of more than 10,000 homes, with reconstruction costs prohibitive for most residents. An estimated 4.8 million internally displaced persons across Yemen remain unable to return to safe areas. While humanitarian organizations like the Nahda Makers Organisation have repaired nearly 2,400 homes across multiple governorates, these efforts represent a fraction of actual need.
Other residents describe harrowing adaptations to front-line living. Mohammed Saeed, unemployed and living in exchange for guarding a property, noted that gunfire occurs regularly and his children have become desensitized to the sounds of shooting. Khalid Abdulhadi, who owns a home in a dangerous neighborhood, continues renting elsewhere rather than return, citing a neighbor whose son was killed by a sniper. He instead allows a displaced family to occupy his property rent-free.
Residents employ various safety strategies, including extinguishing lights visible from a distance and restricting children’s outdoor play to protected areas behind buildings. Despite the relative calm of recent years, residents remain acutely aware that any military escalation could place them directly in crossfire.
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