The United States has revoked the designations of Ansarallah, or the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as Specially Designated Global Terrorist. This comes on the heels of the Biden-Harris Administration’s decision to end its support for the Saudi-led military offensive in Yemen. The war, aimed at Houthi rebels, started more than six years ago, has led to a humanitarian crisis affecting some 24 million people and to the deaths of more than 233,000.
“We have listened to warnings from the United Nations, humanitarian groups, and bipartisan members of Congress, among others, that the designations could have a devastating impact on Yemenis’ access to basic commodities like food and fuel,” explained Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement.“By focusing on alleviating the humanitarian situation in Yemen, we hope the Yemeni parties can also focus on engaging in dialogue.”
Ansarallah leaders Abdul Malik al-Houthi, Abd al-Khaliq Badr al-Din al-Houthi, and Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim remain sanctioned. “We will continue to closely monitor the activities of Ansarallah and its leaders and are actively identifying additional targets for designation,” Said Secretary Blinken.
The United States will continue to support the implementation of UN sanctions imposed on members of Ansarallah, call attention to the group’s destabilizing activity, and pressure the group to change its behavior.
The United States remains clear-eyed about Ansarallah’s malign actions, including taking control of large areas of Yemen by force, attacking U.S. partners in the Gulf, kidnapping and torturing citizens of the United States and many of our allies, diverting humanitarian aid, brutally repressing Yemenis in areas they control, and the deadly attack on December 30, 2020 in Aden against the cabinet of the legitimate government of Yemen. “Ansarallah’s actions and intransigence prolong this conflict and exact serious humanitarian costs,” declared Secretary Blinken.
“We remain committed to helping U.S. partners in the Gulf defend themselves,” said Secretary Blinken, “including against threats arising from Yemen, many of which are carried out with the support of Iran. The United States will redouble its efforts, alongside the United Nations and others, to end the war itself. We reaffirm our strong belief that there is no military solution to this conflict.”
“We urge all parties to work towards a lasting political solution,” said Secretary Blinken, “which is the only means to durably end the humanitarian crisis afflicting the people of Yemen.”
