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WASHINGTON: United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has moved to brand Yemen’s Houthi rebels as terrorists, a last-minute move in defiance of aid groups who fear it will worsen the humanitarian crisis.
Unless Congress blocks the decision, the Houthis will be blacklisted on January 19 — one day before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Pompeo’s action could complicate Biden’s promised efforts to restart diplomacy with Iran and to reassess the US alliance with Saudi Arabia and end Yemen’s devastating six-year-old war.
“The designations are intended to hold Ansar Allah accountable for its terrorist acts, including cross-border attacks threatening civilian populations, infrastructure and commercial shipping,” Pompeo said in a statement late Sunday, using the official name of the Huthi movement.
The Houthis have “led a brutal campaign that has killed many people, continues to destabilise the region and denies Yemenis a peaceful solution to the conflict in their country,” he added.
Pompeo also designated as terrorists three leaders of the movement, including their chief Abdul Malik al-Houthi. He pointed to a December 30 attack on an airport in Yemen’s second city Aden, which killed 26 people and was blamed by the government on the Houthis.
The rebel group controls much of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, and is already under US sanctions. The designation as a terrorist group will discourage foreign groups from many transactions with Houthi authorities, including bank transfers and buying food and fuel.
Aid groups have warned Pompeo against the blacklisting of the Houthis, saying that they have no option but to deal with what is the de facto government in northern Yemen.
Pompeo insisted that the State Department was aware of the concerns and would work with non-governmental groups and the United Nations to ensure that aid goes through. “We are planning to put in place measures to reduce their impact on certain humanitarian activity and imports into Yemen,” he said.
Tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed and millions displaced in Yemen’s war, with most of the nation dependent on some form of aid to survive.
Pompeo issued the statement shortly before midnight on a Sunday. Under US law, Congress has seven days in which it can object to a designation of a foreign terrorist group. Lawmakers from Biden’s Democratic Party had already told Pompeo that the step would both jeopardize aid and peace efforts.
