US President Donald Trump has re-designated Yemen’s Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).
“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 trade,” an executive order said.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) must end relationships with partners which have made payments to Houthi entities or “criticised efforts to counter” the Iran-backed group, which could affect humanitarian organisations in Yemen.
Former President Joe Biden had lifted the designation in 2021, citing the need to mitigate one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that escalated 10 years ago, when the Houthis seized control of the country’s north-west from the internationally-recognised government and a Saudi-led coalition supported by the US intervened in an effort to restore its rule.
The fighting has reportedly left more than 150,000 people dead and triggered a humanitarian disaster, with 4.8 million people displaced and 19.5 million – half of the population – in need of some form of aid.
Despite the dire situation, Biden relisted the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorists – less severe than an FTO – last January over their attacks on global shipping and Israel, which are linked to the war in Gaza.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted dozens of merchant vessels with missiles, drones and small boat attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They have sunk two vessels, seized a third, and killed four crew members.
They have said they are acting in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and have claimed – often falsely – that they are targeting ships only linked to Israel, the US or the UK.
The Houthis have not been deterred by the deployment of Western warships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to protect merchant vessels, or by multiple rounds of US and British air strikes on Houthi military targets.
Israel has also carried out air strikes against the Houthis since July in retaliation for the 400 missiles and drones that the Israeli military says have been launched at the country from Yemen, most of which have been shot down.
The Houthis’ SDGT designation required US financial institutions to freeze Houthi funds and meant its members would be banned from the US.
The FTO designation means that anyone in the US or abroad suspected of providing support or resources to the Houthis could be prosecuted by under various US laws, including those banning material support for terrorism.
Human rights groups have previously said this could prevent humanitarian organisations from operating in areas under Houthi control, where the bulk of Yemen’s population lives.
There was no immediate response from the Houthi leadership to Trump’s decision.
However, Abdul Rahman al-Ahnumi, the head of the Houthi-controlled Public Corporation for Radio and Television, said that if it harmed Yemenis they would deal with it as an “escalation and war” and “confront it with similar war and escalation”.
Rashad al-Alimi, who chairs Yemen’s internationally-recognised presidential council, thanked Trump for the designation, which he said was “key to accountability and a step toward peace and stability in Yemen and the region”.
