SANAA: Indications that the US is considering declaring Yemen’s Houthi rebels a “terrorist organization” have alarmed humanitarian groups who say it could cripple aid delivery and tip the country into famine. “The issue here is that if they are defined as a terrorist organization, that has many consequences,” said one Western diplomat in the Gulf who oversees Yemen. “If he designates Ansar Allah as a terrorist organization, then this would be coming from an unqualified person who is going totally insane,” he told AFP. Yemeni Information Minister Moammar Al-Eryani said the rebels deserved the US designation because of their “violations against civilians, sectarian incitement and attacks on neighbors”. State Department counterterrorism coordinator Nathan Sales said, “We don’t sneak-preview any designation actions that we might or might not be contemplating.”

Source: Manila Times November 20, 2020 17:26 UTC