A/HRC/36/33 38. As reported to the Human Rights Council in 2016, OHCHR found credible allegations of the use of cluster munitions by coalition forces dating back to December 2015. On 19 December 2016, the coalition acknowledged the use of cluster munitions and avowed that it would cease the use of British-manufactured BL-755 cluster munitions.27 OHCHR documented two new apparent cases of the use of cluster munitions in Sa’ada Governorate, in December 2016 and May 2017. Siege and blockade 39. Most movement of goods and people in and out of Yemen is by sea or air. Moving within the country by land requires crossing active conflict lines. The sieges and blockades imposed by the warring parties have had a devastating impact on civilians, preventing them from leaving areas affected by conflict to reach safety and, when they remain, preventing them from accessing goods necessary for survival, including life-sustaining or life-saving humanitarian assistance. 40. In August 2015, when pro-Government forces gained control of parts of the city of Taizz, Houthi/Saleh forces besieged the city, controlling the two main entrances and effectively blockading it until March 2016. OHCHR documented several incidents of Houthi guards at checkpoints preventing civilians from bringing essential items, such as food and medicine, into the city. Houthi/Saleh forces also denied passage to civilians trying to exit or enter the city for urgent health care. OHCHR documented the brutal tactics of the Houthi/Saleh forces in enforcing the siege of Taizz, including more than 20 incidents of beating and shooting of civilians at checkpoints. 41. In March 2016, pro-Government forces established control of a third entry point into the city. Accessible only via circuitous, arduous secondary roads, that entrance permitted civilians to move and to bring goods in and out of the city. As a result of international pressure and other factors, Houthi/Saleh forces intermittently allowed the passage of civilians and small quantities of civilian goods, including humanitarian aid, through the main entrances to the city. Nevertheless, access to Taizz city remains extremely limited and residents continue to suffer. 42. The prices of basic commodities in Taizz have skyrocketed, leaving civilians unable to afford basic essential items even if they are accessible or available. To access basic services, such as health care, residents have to traverse routes mined with explosives and are exposed to the constant risk of shelling, airstrikes and snipers. Residents reported that, if they managed to reach a location where health care might be available, they often found that the facilities had been destroyed or damaged in the fighting, or that they lacked even the most basic supplies. No public health-care facilities in the city and few private facilities are fully functional.28 43. Given the geography of Yemen, the powers exercised by the coalition forces along the land borders and coasts and in the airspace, enable the coalition to determine, to a great extent, the conditions of life in Yemen. Reportedly to enforce the United Nationssanctioned arms embargo,29 the coalition imposed de facto naval and aerial blockades. All ships entering ports under the control of Houthi/Saleh forces required prior authorization from the coalition. Few ships received such authorization; many were delayed, denied or rerouted. In one case, the non-governmental organization, Save the Children, issued a public statement alleging that the coalition’s prevention of three of its supply shipments from reaching Al-Hudaydah — by rerouting them to Aden and thereby delaying them for up to three months — killed children.30 44. Through a variety of mostly arbitrary regulatory restrictions, the coalition has strangled the entry of imports into the country. Prior to the conflict, Yemen imported 80 to 90 per cent of its food, medical supplies and fuel. Yet for most of the last two years, for 27 28 29 30 See http://www.spa.gov.sa/viewstory.php?lang=en&newsid=1571875. See www.msf.org/sites/msf.org/files/healthcare_under_siege_in_taiz.pdf. See Security Council resolution 2216 (2015). See www.savethechildren.org.uk/2017-03/saudi-delays-yemen-aid-killing-children. 9