Sanaa slams Trump’s order to designate Ansar Allah as 'terrorist'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen + Agencies
23 Jan 2025 09:03
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US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to reinstate the designation of Ansar Allah as a "foreign terrorist organization."

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US President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump's executive order to reinstate the designation of Yemen's Ansar Allah movement as a "foreign terrorist organization" is a living example of American political instability, its strange contradictions, and its clear failure, pointed out the Yemeni Minister of Information in the Sanaa government, Hashem Sharafuddin.

"We are on the terrorism list, then we’re removed, then re-listed, then delisted again, only to be re-listed once more!" he said.

He added that "sometimes, the best response to American absurdities is to ignore them."

Sharafuddin asserted that the "criminal US regime, a partner in Israeli terrorism, has no right to label others as terrorists."

"This is nothing new, the Americans have already declared war on us, yet we stood strong, fought for justice, and defended our homeland and people," the Yemeni minister clarified, affirming that the Ansar Allah movement "will continue to focus on our mission, fighting for what we believe in."

Trump signs executive order to reinstate Ansar Allah designation

Trump has signed an executive order to reinstate the designation of Ansar Allah as a "foreign terrorist organization," the White House announced on Wednesday.

The designation, originally issued by Trump near the end of his first term, was revoked by former President Joe Biden in 2021. Biden's decision was driven by concerns from humanitarian organizations that the designation would force them to withdraw from Yemen, as they interact with the group, which controls significant territories, including the capital, Sanaa.

However, following the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, the Yemeni forces began targeting shipping vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in support of the Palestinian people and also declared US and British interests as "legitimate targets" following repeated aggressions on the country.

In response, the Biden administration last year reclassified the group as a "specially designated global terrorist" organization—a less restrictive designation that allowed humanitarian aid to continue flowing into Yemen.

The latest executive order by Trump seeks to reapply the more stringent "foreign terrorist organization" label. The order accuses Ansar Allah of carrying out numerous attacks on civilian infrastructure, including multiple attacks on civilian airports in Saudi Arabia," in addition to firing "more than 300 projectiles fired at Israel since October 2023."

The designation is expected to take several weeks to go into effect.

The White House statement emphasized that under Trump, US policy now focuses on working with regional partners to "eliminate" the capabilities and operations of Ansar Allah, "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."

Elsewhere, the statement also noted that Trump will direct the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to terminate relationships with entities that have made payments to Ansar Allah or opposed international efforts to counter the group.