US intends to revoke terrorist designation of Yemen's Houthis

US President Joe Biden’s administration will be revoking the designation of Yemen's Houthis as a terrorist group. According to the reports by AP, a senior State Department official confirmed the move after members of Congress were notified of the administration’s plans. The official said, “Our action is due entirely to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the prior administration, which the United Nations and humanitarian organisations have since made clear would accelerate the world’s worst humanitarian crisis”. 

The history 

This move comes when Biden announced an end to offensive support to Saudi Arabia's campaign against the Houthis. The Obama administration, in the year 2015, lent its approval to Saudi Arabia, targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Talking about the move, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said, “The designation did not impact the Houthis in any practical way, but it stopped food and other critical aid from being delivered inside Yemen and would have prevented effective political negotiation”. 

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The Trump administration designated the Houthi group in Yemen as a terrorist organisation. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the US government would designate the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) as a terrorist organisation, which would take effect from January 19, a day before Trump will vacate the White House for the incoming Biden administration. However, the United Nations and experts have warned that the decision will likely deteriorate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

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Mark Lowcock, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, told the Security Council recently that Yemen is on the brink of famine. He also said that the likes of which this world has not seen in 40 years and the US FTO designation of the Houthis will accelerate the situation. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme has said that the US FTO designation of the Houthis will mean "no food, no medicines, no fuel, and no end of the crisis insight”. 

The conflict in Yemen was sparked in 2014 after Houthis began a series of protests against the government over rising fuel prices. After the military crackdown on the protesters, Houthis launched an armed rebellion, which resulted in the group taking control of the capital Sana'a. Others from the region intervened in the war, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran. While the Saudis and the UAE supported President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, Iran backed the Shia Houthis in the war.

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(Image Credits: AP)