Top UN officials lobby White House against re-classifying Houthis as terror group: report

After weeks of intense pressure from inside Yemen and Arab League countries to reclassify the Houthi rebels as a terrorist organisation, UN officials have reportedly warned president Biden that such a move could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.

Following attacks on the United Arab Emirates claimed by Iran-backed Houthi forces in late January, the UAE and the Arab League called on the US to reclassify the Houthis as a terror group. Maeen Abdul Malik Saeed, prime minister of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government, welcomed deliberations by the Biden administration to re-classify the Houthis as terrorists.

However, heated debate is occupying officials in Washington as to whether the move would be counter-productive, according to US outlet Foreign Policy reported earlier this week.

The Houthis were first added to the list of designated terror groups during the last days of the Trump presidency, in a move condemned at the time by the UN and others.

Re-classifying the group would criminalise any dealings with the groups and leave organisations delivering aid in Houthi-held territory liable to prosecution, UN opponents to the move warned, according to Foreign Policy.

The Houthis were first added to the heavily sanctioned list during the last days of the Trump presidency.

The classification was swiftly lifted by the Biden administration, enabling the delivery of humanitarian aid in cooperation with Houthi militias controlling territory in northern Yemen.

Earlier this week, Human Rights Watch slammed the Biden administration for doubling down on military support for the Saudi-led coalition while considering the re-designation of the Houthi rebels as terrorists.

“Congress should publicly and privately communicate to the administration that arms sales to the coalition should stop and that the Houthis should not be redesignated a “terrorist” group”, they said in a statement.