The State Department said Friday that it will review an eleven-hour decision by the Trump administration to describe Yemen’s Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist organization.
The quick decision to launch a last-minute review of the decision under the then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
Mike PompeoJilani: China “sends a clear message” to Biden officials with sanctions that the opposition could lead to a “future pay cut.” The new Israeli envoy arrives in Washington and turns the page on the Trump era. comes after critics said the designation could exacerbate a serious humanitarian crisis in Yemen by hampering the distribution of aid to houthis-controlled areas.
“Ansarallah, sometimes known as the Houthis, has a major responsibility for the humanitarian catastrophe and insecurity in Yemen. We firmly believe that Ansarallah must change its 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 Secretary-General Blinken, the State Department has initiated a review of Ansarallah’s terrorist designations,” he added. spokesman, in reference to Anthony Blink
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Incoming Biden administration officials had sounded the alarm about the designation and indicated that the Trump-era movement could be reversed shortly after the inauguration.
Blinken, who the Biden administration hopes will be confirmed in the next few days, told senators during its confirmation hearing this week that it would push for the appointment to be reviewed “immediately.”
He said his “deep concern about the designation that was made is that at least on its surface it seems to be getting nothing practical to advance efforts against the houthis and bring them back to the negotiating table, although it makes it even more difficult to provide humanitarian aid to people who desperately need it. “
The State Department spokesman told The Hill that “it will not publicly discuss or comment on internal deliberations on this review; however, with the humanitarian crisis in Yemen we are working as soon as possible to conduct the review and make a determination. “.
Yemen’s civil war for years between Houthis, who have ties to Iran, and the government backed by Saudi Arabia – a key US ally – has plunged the country into one of the worst humanitarian crises in history. modern. Thousands of civilians have died in the fighting and famine has spread to every corner of the country.
Pompey instituted the appointment when he stepped down as a sign of U.S. support for operations against the Houthis. However, health experts warned that the label could prevent the delivery of aid to civilians in areas detained by Houthi by humanitarian groups that would cut aid to prevent sanctions from ending.
Pompeo said in his announcement that the United States “planned to put in place measures to reduce its impact on certain humanitarian activities and imports into Yemen.”
“We have expressed our willingness to work with relevant United Nations officials, with international and non-governmental organizations and other international donors to address these implications,” he said, although criticism continued.
“This is approaching the absolute hardest time when more than 16 million Yemeni women, children and men live in severe and worsening food insecurity,” said Michelle Nunn, CEO of CARE USA, an international non-governmental organization. focused on fighting global poverty and world hunger, he told The Hill this week.
“This particular designation amounts to a cessation and abandonment order for the humanitarian response in northern Yemen and its impacts will lead to more despair and lost lives across the country.”
Blinken told senators Tuesday that Biden plans to end U.S. support for the Saudi offensive in Yemen, mainly on humanitarian issues.
“The president-elect has made it clear that we will end our support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen,” he said.
“But I want it [to] to clarify, I think we need to be in close contact with Saudi Arabia and our partner there. We need to be very clear about what we do, why we do something and talk about it, “he added.” But the main point is that, for reasons we have debated, we believe that continuing with this support is not in the national interest. “