US re-designates Houthis as global terrorists in response to attacks on military and maritime operations

The United States has re-designated the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group in response to their attacks against US military forces and international maritime vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced the decision, stating that the attacks have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, global trade, and freedom of navigation. The aim of the designation is to hinder the Houthis’ access to terrorist funding, restrict their financial market activities, and hold them accountable for their actions. However, the US will reassess the designation if the Houthis cease their attacks.

The terrorist designation will be effective 30 days from the announcement, with humanitarian carve-outs to ensure that the action targets the Houthis and not the Yemeni people. The US emphasizes that commercial shipments into Yemen, crucial for the Yemeni population’s access to food, medicine, and fuel, will continue and are not affected by the sanctions. This move reverses Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s 2021 decision to remove the Houthis from the US Specially Designated Global Terrorist List (SDGT).

The decision to re-designate the Houthis as a terrorist group comes as a response to their attacks on US forces and international vessels, with the aim of restricting their financial activities and holding them accountable for their actions. The US has emphasized that commercial shipments into Yemen will not be affected by the sanctions, and humanitarian carve-outs have been implemented to ensure that the action targets the Houthis and not the Yemeni people. This decision reverses a previous move to remove the Houthis from the US Specially Designated Global Terrorist List.

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