Trump Designates Yemen's Houthis as 'Foreign Terrorist Organization'

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - U.S. President on Wednesday re-designated Yemen's movement, officially known as Ansar Allah, as a "foreign terrorist organization," the White House said in a statement, reported.

The move would impose tougher economic penalties than those the Biden administration has imposed on the Iran-aligned group in response to its attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and on U.S. warships defending maritime hotspots.

Supporters of the move say it is too late, although some experts say it could have implications for anyone seen as assisting the Houthis, including some aid organizations.

"The Houthis' activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime commerce," the White House said in a statement.

The Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea since November 2023. They say the actions are in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza. They have sunk two ships, seized another and killed at least four sailors.

The attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing companies to reroute longer, more expensive journeys around southern Africa for more than a year.

The group has targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which is connected by the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, a crossing point between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.

Under Biden, the US military has sought to intercept Houthi attacks to protect commercial traffic and has carried out periodic strikes to degrade the Houthi military’s capabilities. But those strikes have not targeted the group’s leadership.

Early in his presidency in 2021, Joe Biden lifted Trump’s terrorist designation to address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Faced with the Red Sea attacks, Biden last year designated the group a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” organization. But his administration has held off on implementing the tougher FTO designation.

The British charity Oxfam said the move would worsen the suffering of Yemeni civilians, disrupting vital imports of food, medicine and fuel.

"The Trump administration is aware of these consequences but has chosen to move forward anyway, and will bear the responsibility for the famine and disease that will follow," Oxfam America's peace and security director, Scott Paul, said in a statement.

David Schenker, who served as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs in the first Trump administration, said Trump's move on Wednesday was a clear first step in addressing what he described as one of Iran's main proxy forces in the Middle East.

"While the re-designation is unlikely to have a positive impact on the group's behavior, it does demonstrate that the new administration is not willing to coax (or lure) Iran into negotiating through lip service," Schenker told Reuters.

The Trump administration has said the U.S. will work with regional partners to degrade the Houthis' capabilities, deprive them of resources "and thereby end their attacks on U.S. personnel and civilians, U.S. partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea."

The designation will also trigger a broad review of U.N. partners, non-governmental organizations, and contractors operating in Yemen, the White House said.

"The president will direct USAID to end its relationship with entities that have made payments to the Houthis, or that have opposed international efforts to counter the Houthis while turning a blind eye to Houthi terrorism and abuses," the White House said.

The have signaled in recent days that they are reducing attacks in the Red Sea following a multi-phase ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Earlier Wednesday, the group released the crew of the commercial vessel Galaxy Leader more than a year after they seized the Bahamian-flagged vessel off the coast of Yemen.

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