Civil society, religious groups urge US president to overturn decision to put Houthis on Yemen as ‘terrorists’.
Dozens of civil society and faith-based organizations in the United States are urging President Joe Biden to overturn the Trump administration’s decision to declare Hmenis Yemen a “terrorist” group.
In a letter (PDF) to Biden on Friday, 50 organizations including the National Council of Churches and Health Alliance International said “instead of being a civilian instrument for peace, these designations are a recipe for more conflict and famine. ”.
They will “prevent the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance to millions of innocent people, seriously damage the prospects for a settlement of the conflict, and undermine U.S. national security interests. in the area “, the letter reads.
The administration of the outgoing President, Donald Trump, said on Monday that they were designing the Houthis as a “Foreign Terrorism Group” and “a specially designed World Terrorism”.
In this 2017 file photo, newly recruited Houthi fighters take part in a rally in the capital Sanaa to mobilize more fighters to the front of a battlefield to fight against government forces there the several Yemeni cities [File: Mohammed Huwais/AFP]
The foreign policy move – part of Trump’s “biggest pressure” campaign against Iran and its allies, such as the Houthis – is expected to take place on January 19, the day before Biden takes office.
“The designations intend to hold Ansar Allah accountable for its terrorist acts, including cross-border attacks threatening civilian numbers, infrastructure and commercial shipping,” Pompeo said in a statement, using the official name for the Houthi movement.
Delivery of aid
However, the United Nations, humanitarian aid organizations operating in Yemen and U.S. lawmakers have condemned the decision as a threat to the lives of millions of Yemenis who have already been hit hard by a devastating war. .
The war in Yemen began in 2014 after the Houthis captured much of the country and conquered the capital, Sanaa.
The conflict escalated in March 2015 when Saudi Arabia and the US-backed United Arab Emirates formed an armed coalition to try to overthrow the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Tens of thousands have been killed and the UN has said the conflict has caused the worst humanitarian crisis in the world.
Hassan El-Tayyab, chief Middle East policy lobbyist at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, one of the signatories of the letter, said the Houthi assignment would hamper aid delivery and halt talks to end it. the conflict.
“Because millions of Yemenis are hungry, the Biden administration must reverse this disastrous designation and end U.S. military support for a Saudi-UAE-led coalition war on the first day. , because Yemen can’t wait, ”El-Tayyab told Al Jazeera.
Girl watches employee give food ration to boy at charity kitchen in Sanaa, Yemen on July 20, 2020 [Khaled Abdullah/Reuters]‘Tricky political’
For his part, Biden has pledged to “end U.S. support for the Saudi Arabian war in Yemen” as president.
He is under pressure from within his own Democratic Party, and members of them have tried unsuccessfully to end U.S. support for Saudi-led forces in Yemen for years.
High-ranking Democrats adopted the Houthi nomination this week, with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Gregory Meeks urging Biden to “turn back quickly”.
The International Crisis Agency (ICG) said on Wednesday that Biden’s top advisers may think a reversal is “too difficult politically, given that the Houthis are a violent armed group with a sectarian outlook. out of Yemen’s internationally recognized government ”.
But the ICG said Biden must pick up both assignments “better than his first days or weeks” in office.
“That said, building assignments can take time, and in the meantime, Biden’s administration should be willing to provide as broad a licensing system as possible and point out to the community humanitarian aid and others to intends to revoke the designations, “the group said.
“It is far better to prevent a full-blown famine driven by U.S. actions now than to deal with the consequences only when they become so obvious and uncontrollable.”
