President Biden’s administration plans to revoke a designation labeling Yemen’s Houthis as a terrorist group, in a reversal from the Trump administration.
Fast Facts
- The Trump administration had moved to label the Houthis as a terrorist organization in the last days of his administration
- The Biden administration said the decision was part of tackling the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, removing the restriction on aid to its people, who have suffered under a years-long civil war and famine.
The Biden administration said the decision was part of tackling the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, removing the restriction on aid to its people, who have suffered under a years-long civil war and famine.
The previous president had branded the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, as a foreign terrorist organization.
The Biden administration said its decision was part of tackling the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, removing the restriction on aid to its people, who have suffered under a years-long civil war and famine.
A senior State Department official confirmed the move Friday after members of Congress were notified of the administration’s plans. The official, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the removal changed nothing about the Biden administration’s views of the Houthis, who have targeted civilians and kidnapped Americans.
“Our action is due entirely to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the prior administration, which the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have since made clear would accelerate the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” the official said.
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