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Intel: Congress warned of fallout if Yemen's Houthis labeled terrorists

A group of 29 aid agencies operating in Yemen warned congressional leaders that the Donald Trump administration's planned terror designation could hinder their live-saving work.
Hashem Mahmoud Atin, a ten-month-old displaced Yemeni child suffering from acute malnutrition and who is unable to reach a hospital for treatment, is held by his mother at a camp in Abs in northern Yemen's Hajjah province on September 3, 2020. - Hundreds of children and pregnant women have been negatively affected by the closure of medical clinics funded by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Yemen's displaced camps. (Photo by ESSA AHMED / AFP) (Photo by ESSA AHMED/AFP via Getty Images)

Relief organizations working in Yemen are urging Congress to speak out against the Donald Trump administration’s plan to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization, warning that such a move could have drastic humanitarian consequences in a country on the brink of famine. 

“A formal US terrorist designation would exacerbate humanitarian needs, further devastate Yemen’s economy, and hamstring the ability of humanitarian agencies to respond,” read the letter sent Thursday to congressional leaders.

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