US 'playing with fire' in move to list Ansar Allah as 'terror group'
4 Min Read
The United States has been a target of backlash following a decision to enlist Yemen's Ansar Allah as a "terrorist group", putting Yemen at major risk of a general financial embargo, among other reparations.
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President Joe Biden exits the stage after speaking at a campaign event at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pa., Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. (AP)
The United States has been a target of backlash following a decision to enlist Yemen's Ansar Allah as a "terrorist group", putting Yemen at major risk of a general financial embargo, among other reparations, that could target the country amid one of the worst humanitarian crises the world has seen.
On Wednesday, it was reported that the US has authorized the relisting of Ansar Allah as a "specially designated terrorist group," a US official said, according to another anonymous individual, both of whom had the authority to address the matter ahead of the official announcement.
The US representatives claimed that the special list serves to recognize Ansar Allah as a "terrorist" body, yet in a realm that does not halt all humanitarian access or hurdle relief operations.
However, aid organizations voiced concerns about the uncertainty that could follow the move, The Washington Post reported.
Even US officials fear that designating Ansar Allah as a "foreign terrorist organization" could cause aid groups to stop sending supplies into the areas under the group's control, for fear of criminal liability or other US penalties, The New York Times revealed.
The associate director of peace and security at Oxfam America, Scott Paul, commented on the matter saying, “This designation would add another level of uncertainty and threat for Yemenis still caught in one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.”
He emphasized that the US government is "playing with fire" while calling for avoiding the designation to protect Yemeni lives from unnecessary and avoidable suffering.
“The Biden administration is playing with fire and we call on them to avoid this designation immediately and prioritize the lives of Yemenis now," he said.
The designation's original installment
The move essentially reverses a previous decision to exempt Yemen's Resistance force from being on the official "terror list", initially made to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance throughout the decade-long war launched on the country.
Under the Trump administration, Ansar Allah was regarded as a "foreign terrorist organization." The designation was made during Trump's final days in office and was revoked once Biden took government.
Now, the Biden administration appears to be mirroring what his predecessor did under looser terms. Biden claims he wants to facilitate the identification and prosecution of individuals, organizations, and parties affiliated with Ansar Allah, while simultaneously safeguarding the passage of relief aid to Yemen, something that can never be feasible.
One true terrorist
The US decision stems from frustration with the Yemeni Armed Forces' operations in the Red Sea, initially signifying solidarity with Palestine and resisting imperial forces aiming to militarize the region and protect "Israel's" interests.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated at the World Economic Forum that “the entire world rejects wholesale the idea that a group like the Houthis can basically hijack the world, as they are doing.”
However, the US-led military coalition in the Red Sea, Operation Prosperity Guardian, has endangered the region and escalated tensions drastically. Through recent condensed attacks on Yemen, the US has built foundations for a regional war.
Yemen, on the other hand, has proven that it will not be threatened by perpetrators of violence and will remain Gaza's reliable ally and a devoted defender of justice.
Read more: Joe Biden ignited what could be a regional war in MENA: The Guardian
