“After a thorough analysis, we can confirm that the secretary intends to revoke the foreign terrorist organization and the specially designated global terrorist designations of Ansarallah,” said the official, using another name for the Houthis. “We have formally notified Congress of the secretary’s intention to revoke these designations and will share more details in the coming days.”
“We are committed to helping Saudi Arabia defend its territory against new attacks,” said the official. “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 world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”
Then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the Trump administration’s decision less than two weeks before leaving office, with the appointment taking effect just a day before President Joe Biden took office. Humanitarian organizations, diplomats and lawmakers warned that the designation could destabilize the local situation and seriously undermine efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.
Blinken told reporters last week that he was “particularly focused” on reviewing the designation.
“It is vitally important, even in the midst of this crisis, that we do everything in our power to obtain humanitarian assistance to the Yemeni people who are in dire need. And what we want to be sure of is that whatever measures we take do not take disrupt the provision of such assistance, “said Blinken.
Yemen is involved in a civil war of years that pitted a coalition supported by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against Houthi rebels supported by Iran, a Shi’ite political and military organization in northern Yemen. The conflict claimed thousands of civilian lives and plunged the country into a humanitarian crisis.
In a speech to the State Department on Thursday, Biden declared that “we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including sales of relevant weapons”, and said he will appoint an envoy to focus on the long-running conflict. date. He said the conflict was “a war that created a humanitarian and strategic catastrophe”, but he also emphasized that the United States “will continue to help and support Saudi Arabia”.
Senator Chris Murphy, a longtime critic of the Saudi campaign in Yemen, praised the government’s initiative to terminate the nomination.
“The Biden administration’s decision to reverse the Houthi FTO designation is another sign of its commitment to ending the war in Yemen,” the Connecticut Democrat said in a statement on Friday.
“The designation did not affect the Houthis in a practical way, but it prevented food and other essential aid from being delivered within Yemen and would have prevented an effective political negotiation,” he added. “Reversing the designation is an important decision that will save lives and, combined with the appointment of a special envoy, offers hope that President Biden is committed to ending the war.”