Pompeo to label Yemen's Houthis a foreign terror group
Relief organizations in Yemen warn the designation will hamstring their life-saving work in a country already considered to have the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
![1228507711 A fighter loyal to Yemen's Huthi rebels stands guard during a rally commemorating the death of Shiite Imam Zaid bin Ali in the capital Sanaa, on September 14, 2020. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2021/01/GettyImages-1228507711.jpg/GettyImages-1228507711.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=DM3fbQNO)
The Trump administration will designate Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late Sunday, despite months of pleading from relief organizations who say the move will bring aid delivery in the war-torn country to a standstill.
Pompeo will notify Congress of his intention to designate the Iran-aligned group, which is mired in a six-year-long civil war against a Saudi-led military coalition supporting the internationally recognized government in Yemen. In a statement emailed to reporters, the secretary of state said the move holds the Houthis responsible for terrorist acts in Yemen, a country considered by the United Nations to be the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.