US relabels Houthis terrorists after Biden removed designation
THE United States has designated the Houthis a terrorist group, reversing a decision made nearly three years ago.
Announcing the move, which comes into force in 30 days, the State Department said Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping had “endangered mariners, disrupted the free flow of commerce, and interfered with navigational rights and freedoms”.
It added: “The Houthis must be held accountable for their actions, but it should not be at the expense of Yemeni civilians.”
Joe Biden hinted at the change of status when questioned by reporters in Pennsylvania last Friday in the wake of attacks on western shipping in the Red Sea which saw Britain and the US launch a series of strikes on Yemen.
The move reversed a decision by Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, who delisted the Houthis to make it easier to get aid into the region.
It had been feared that barring US aid groups from providing support would worsen the existing humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Israeli officials have been urging the West to designate the Houthis as terrorists, after they declared war on Israel in the aftermath of the Oct 7 attacks and have launched long-range attacks on Israeli cities.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday said that addressing the threat posed to commercial vessels is an “all hands on deck” problem that the US and its allies must address together to minimise impact on the global economy.
Speaking in Davos, he added that it needed to be made clear “the entire world rejects wholesale the idea that a group like the Houthis can hijack the world”.
As a result of the announcement, the US will consider the Houthis a “specially designated global terrorist” force
– a lower category than being classed as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation. It will mean that Houthi assets will be frozen, but the sanctions will not apply to humanitarian assistance such as food, fuel and medicine.
The lower designation was condemned as inadequate by the Mike Pence-linked political action committee, Advancing American Freedom.
Paul Teller, its executive director, said: “At the beginning of the Biden administration the Houthis were removed from the list of foreign terrorist organisations, which was a mistake the world has paid for these past months.”