Pompeo to label Yemen's Houthis a foreign terror group
Relief organizations in Yemen warn the designation will hamstring their life-saving work in a country already considered to have the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
The Trump administration will designate Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said late Sunday, despite months of pleading from relief organizations who say the move will bring aid delivery in the war-torn country to a standstill.
Pompeo will notify Congress of his intention to designate the Iran-aligned group, which is mired in a six-year-long civil war against a Saudi-led military coalition supporting the internationally recognized government in Yemen. In a statement emailed to reporters, the secretary of state said the move holds the Houthis responsible for terrorist acts in Yemen, a country considered by the United Nations to be the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.