WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden’s government is moving to repeal the Youth Houthis’ designation as a terrorist group, citing the need to mitigate one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.
President Donald Trump’s government classified Iran-backed Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, a movement that limited aid to the besieged Yemeni people who suffered during years of civil war and famine.
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A senior State Department official confirmed the move on Friday after members of Congress were notified of the government’s plans. The official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the removal has not changed anything in the Biden government’s view of the Houthis, who target civilians and kidnap Americans.
“Our action is entirely due to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the previous government, which the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have since made clear that would accelerate the worst humanitarian crisis in the world,” said the official.
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The change comes a day after Biden announces the end of offensive support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign against the Houthis.
In 2015, the Obama administration gave Saudi Arabia its approval to lead a cross-border air campaign targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who were taking over more and more territory, including Sanaa. The Houthis launched several drone and missile attacks deep in Saudi Arabia. The US says the Saudi-led campaign has consolidated Iran’s role in the conflict, alongside the Houthis.
US assistance to Saudi Arabia’s command and control should minimize civilian casualties in Saudi-led air strikes. But the bombing has since killed several Yemeni civilians, including students on a bus and fishermen on their boats. The survivors displayed fragments showing the American-made bombs.
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Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut praised the Biden administration’s action, saying: “The designation did not affect the Houthis in a practical way, but it prevented food and other critical aid from being delivered within Yemen and would have prevented an effective political negotiation.