Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Friday (Feb. 12) that he will rescind his designation of Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization and a specially designated global terrorist organization as of Feb. 16.
The decision reverses the former Trump administration’s blacklisting of the Houthis as a terrorist organization and is part of President Joe Biden‘s shift away from Trump’s policies. Blinken said the decision was aimed at easing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and strengthening diplomatic efforts to end Yemen’s brutal civil war.
In a statement, Blinken said, “This decision is a recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”
The war has pitted the Houthi movement, which is allied with Iran, against the internationally recognized Yemeni government backed by a Saudi-led military coalition.
The Biden Administration, several other governments, the United Nations and aid organizations are concerned that sanctions imposed on Houthi under the blacklist could stifle Food deliveries at a Time when the threat of severe famine is growing.
Still, Blinken demonstrated what appears to be limited U.S. tolerance for the Houthi movement. He said three of its leaders, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Houthi and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim, would remain The U.S. sanctions will remain in place.
He also said Washington will continue to “closely monitor” the activities of the movement and its leaders and is “actively identifying” new targets for sanctions, particularly those responsible for attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Blinken said, “The United States remains clear-eyed about the malicious actions of Ansarallah.” The name of the Houthi movement also uses this designation – Houthi Ansarallah. He noted, “Ansarallah’s actions and intransigence have prolonged this conflict and caused serious humanitarian damage.”
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