Taiz – "We welcome the blessed month of Ramadan with a little bread and water, for we have nothing but God's mercy." With these words, the Yemeni citizen "Um Omar" (40 years old) begins to narrate her suffering, and her lessons fall on her forehead, amid shame covered with weakness and bitter pain due to the difficult living situation.

Um Omar lives with her husband and five children in the city of Taiz in southwestern Yemen, and adds - in her interview with Al Jazeera Net - "I have not been able yet to provide breakfast dates, or even buy yogurt .. How can we rejoice at the coming of the month of Ramadan, when we have an empty stomach, and they are too heavy to bear?"

Um Omar is one of millions of people in Yemen who are welcoming the holy month of Ramadan for the ninth time amid the ongoing war between the internationally recognized government backed by a Saudi-led military coalition on the one hand, and the Iran-allied Ansar Allah (Houthi) group on the other.

The Ramadan comes amid an unprecedented rise in prices due to the decline in the value of the local currency, where the exchange of one dollar is worth 1300 Yemeni riyals, down from only 215 riyals to the dollar before the outbreak of war.

"A new Ramadan visits us, and my husband, the breadwinner of my family, is no longer able to work because of the diseases he suffers from, and if he tries to work for a daily wage in transporting stones, he is not accepted because of his inability to achieve." Um Omar continues.

Um Omar recalls before the war: "We were in trouble at the time, and as soon as the conflict broke out, business stopped and our lives were turned upside down," she says.

Um Omar continues, "I have two boys who work in selling vegetables by roaming the lanes, and they get about a thousand riyals a day (less than a dollar), which we save only to buy flour and provide some basic needs from relief organizations and philanthropists."


The harshness of life

On Jamal Street in downtown Taiz, Abdullah Hammadi stands in front of a shop, thinking about how to provide the basics of the month of Ramadan.

Al-Jazeera Net asks him, "What have you prepared for the needs of the month of fasting?" The thirtieth man replies, "I am like many Yemenis, one Ramadan goes and another comes, and we are only thinking about how to provide the basics of life. It's now a month like any other."

He said he works as a car cleaner, in addition to his daily work arranging an apartment with a salary of 30,24 riyals ($<>).

He pointed out that his income does not meet the minimum requirements of life for his family of seven. "War came and wiped out all joy. Before that, we used to prepare for Ramadan with vigor and happiness and provide most of the requirements of life, but now the holy month has become an economic and living burden despite its spiritual beauty," Hammadi said.

Regarding Hamadi's wishes, he speaks in a low voice containing rising sorrow: "We only want to live in security, peace and cover, away from the pain of war, the difficulties of living and the need for people. "We hope the conflict will stop and our Yemen will return to the way it was."

Scenes from Yemenis' preparations for the month of Ramadan in the Yemeni city of Taiz (Al-Jazeera)

Fragile economic situation

Socio-economic conditions in Yemen have deteriorated, exacerbated by trade disruptions, severe fuel shortages, and reduced humanitarian operations, according to a March 21 World Bank report.

According to the report, increasing violence and fragmentation of macroeconomic policies have increased pressure on fragile economic conditions, and the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Yemen continues due to the Corona pandemic and the global rise in commodity prices, leaving many Yemenis dependent on relief aid and remittances from expatriates.

Under these harsh conditions, Yemeni citizen Abdullah Mohammed was able with great difficulty to meet some of the requirements of the month of Ramadan.

The forty-year-old works sporadically in the construction industry due to rampant unemployment. He tells Al Jazeera Net that business this year is significantly lower than previous years, "as we are witnessing a major recession in construction, which has caused financial difficulties we face."

The man complained about the wave of high prices, especially with the advent of Ramadan, "As we approach the month of fasting, we see systematic exploitation by traders who raise the prices of basic commodities unbearably."

"The war has caused the situation of many citizens to deteriorate and their lives are at rock bottom due to the lack of job opportunities," he said. "The aid of relief organisations has contributed to improving the situation of some families, without which Yemeni society would have witnessed mass famine," he said.

"We hope that the conditions in our beloved country will improve and businesses will be available, so that we can get a loaf of bread for our families," he concluded.

High food prices lead to unprecedented recession by Ramadan (Al Jazeera)

Struggle for survival

According to the United Nations, 80 percent of Yemen's 32 million people are in need of aid, while aid organizations are underfunded for their humanitarian operations, negatively affecting the lives of many poor people in the country, which is facing one of the world's worst humanitarian and economic crises.

Despite the UN's request for $4.3 billion to implement the 2023 Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan, donors pledged at the end of February only $1.2 billion.

Ali Othman, a field aid activist in Taiz province, said Yemenis are receiving Ramadan and are facing extremely difficult living conditions, with a significant decrease in the volume of aid.

He added – in his speech to Al Jazeera Net – that the Yemenis before the outbreak of the war, they were receiving Ramadan with tawashih and religious songs and decorating homes, and clear readiness to provide the requirements of the holy month.

"But Ramadan is coming now, and we do not notice preparations from the majority of the population to provide its requirements, due to the high prices and the absence of income for many Yemenis," he said. "In the shadow of war, Ramadan has become like the rest of the months, with most Yemenis struggling to meet life's basic requirements just to survive," Othman said.

He pointed out that the conditions of the war have also led to a decline in the level of societal sympathy, as a result of the lack of economic resourcefulness and the transformation of many of those who were well-off before the war to the poor now.

According to Othman, Yemen suffers from a lack of relief support compared to other countries suffering from similar war conditions, which leads to the expansion of the humanitarian tragedy. Osman expresses his hope for the return of peace to his country, believing that the continuation of the war means more human tragedy in all months of the year.

The hopes of Yemenis this year coincide with the continued military de-escalation on the battlefronts, about a year ago, following continuous UN and international moves aimed at bringing peace to the country.

"We hope that the war will end, that jobs will be available, that we will live the next Ramadan without pain, that my children will attend school and enjoy a prosperous life," concludes Um Omar.