The government of President Joe Biden will remove the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen from the foreign terrorist organization and specially designated lists for world terrorists, the foreign ministry confirmed on Friday.
The last-minute decision by former President Donald Trump’s government to appoint the group that controls 80 percent of Yemen’s territory has been widely condemned by international organizations for delivering critical food and aid to a country on the brink of collapse. famine cut off.
“Secretary [Antony] Blinken is clear that he needs to investigate Ansarallah’s instructions quickly, given the far-reaching consequences for the people of Yemen, home to the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe, ‘a State Department official confirmed on Friday. “After a comprehensive investigation, we can confirm that the Secretary intends to recall the foreign terrorist organization and specially designated global terrorist names of Ansarallah.”
The State Department has formally notified Congress of its intention to remove the Houthi from the lists and “will share more details in the coming days,” the official said.
The decision comes just over 24 hours after the Biden government put an end to US support for Saudi-led offensive operations against the Houthis in Yemen, including a freeze on arms sales to the Kingdom.
“We are committed to helping Saudi Arabia defend its territory against further attacks,” the foreign minister said on Friday. “Our actions are entirely due to the humanitarian consequences of the last appointment of the previous government, which the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have since made clear to accelerate the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.”
The official added that the decision to revoke the nomination of the Houthis “has nothing to do with our view of the Houthis and their reprehensible behavior, including attacks on civilians and the kidnapping of American citizens.”
“This is a further, important, correct decision to give hope to Yemen’s crisis – stricken population,” said David Miliband, president and chief executive of the International Rescue Committee. ‘The appointment of Ansar Allah would have done nothing to tackle terrorism, and everything to make humanitarian aid and commercial traffic impossible. ‘
“The next steps are to increase aid flow, negotiate a permanent ceasefire and get the diplomatic process underway to bring about a sustainable political settlement,” he said.
