The State Department said on Friday it would review a last-minute decision by the Trump administration to label Houthi rebels in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization.
The swift decision to launch a last-minute movement review under the then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Mike PompeoJilani: China ‘sending a clear message’ to Biden officials with sanctions that the opposition could lead to ‘future salary cuts’ New Israeli envoy arrives in Washington, turning page in the Trump era, Biden dismisses the controversial head of the United States Agency for Global Media MORE comes after critics said the designation could exacerbate a terrible humanitarian crisis in Yemen by making it difficult to distribute aid in areas controlled by the Houthis.
“Ansarallah, sometimes known as Houthis, has a great responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe and insecurity in Yemen. We strongly believe that Ansarallah needs to change his behavior, ”a State Department spokesman told The Hill.
“At the same time, we must also ensure that we are not impeding the provision of humanitarian assistance. As noted by Designated Secretary Blinken, the State Department has initiated a review of Ansarallah’s terrorist designations, ”added the spokesman, referring to Antony Blinken
Antony BlinkenNew Israeli envoy arrives in Washington, turning the page on the Trump era What the Biden Office means for the hardest hit American industry The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden takes office, calls for an end to the ‘uncivil war’ MORE, President Biden’s choice to head the State Department.
Incoming Biden government officials sounded the alarm about the designation and indicated that the change from the Trump era could be reversed soon after the inauguration.
Blinken, who the Biden administration expects to be confirmed in the next few days, told senators during his confirmation hearing this week that he would push to revise the designation “immediately”.
He said his “deep concern about the designation that has been made is that at least on its surface it seems to achieve nothing particularly practical to advance efforts against the Houthis and bring them back to the negotiating table, making it even more difficult than providing humanitarian assistance to people who desperately need it. “
The State Department spokesman told The Hill that he “will not publicly discuss or comment on internal deliberations regarding this review; however, with the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, we are working as fast as we can to conduct the review and make a decision. ”
Yemen’s civil war of years between the Houthis, who have ties to Iran, and the government backed by Saudi Arabia – a major US ally – plunged the country into one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history. Thousands of civilians were killed in the clashes and famine spread to every corner of the country.
Pompeo instituted the designation by stepping down as a sign of US support for operations against the Houthis. However, health experts have warned that the label may prevent aid from being delivered to civilians in areas controlled by Houthi by humanitarian groups that would reduce aid to avoid conflict with sanctions.
Pompeo said in his announcement that the United States was “planning to implement measures to reduce its impact on certain humanitarian activities and imports into Yemen”.
“We express our willingness to work with relevant authorities at the United Nations, with international and non-governmental organizations and other international donors to address these implications,” he said, although criticism continues.
“This is coming at the most difficult time, when more than 16 million Yemeni women, children and men live in severe and worsening food insecurity,” Michelle Nunn, CEO of CARE USA, an international non-governmental organization focused on combating poverty global and world hunger, I told The Hill this week.
“This particular designation amounts to an order to cease and desist from the humanitarian response in northern Yemen and its impacts will lead to more despair and lost lives across the country.”
Blinken told senators on Tuesday that Biden plans to end US support for the Saudi offensive in Yemen, mainly for humanitarian reasons.
“The president-elect has made it clear that we will end our support for the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia in Yemen,” he said.
“But I want [to] to make it clear, I think we have to have close contact with Saudi Arabia, with our partner there. We need to be very clear about what we are doing, why we are doing something and talking about it, “he added.” But the main point is that, for the reasons we discussed, we believe that continuing with this support is not in the national interest. “