A spokesman for the UN Secretary-General welcomed the US Secretary of State’s move to remove the Yemeni Ansarullah movement from the terrorist list, calling it “extremely positive”.
The US Secretary of State announced yesterday that on February 16 the previous administration’s decision to include the Yemeni Houthis (Ansarullah) in the list of “global foreign terrorist organizations” will be revoked, but the leaders of this movement will remain on the sanctions list.
A statement from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Friday read: The decision to remove the Ansarullah movement from the list of global foreign terrorist organizations was taken in order to observe the difficult humanitarian situation in Yemen, following global warnings and members of Congress.
According to the Associated Press, Blinken’s statement came after a telephone conversation with Antonio Guterres on global issues, including Yemen.
Reacting to the US decision, Stephen Dujarric expressed hope that the move would help find a political solution to the Yemeni civil war.
He added that the reconsideration of terrorism (Ansarullah movement) and the appointment of the US Special Representative for Yemen show the strong support of US President Joe Biden for the UN-led mediation process and are very welcome.
In its last month, the Trump administration identified Yemeni Ansarullah as a terrorist group, creating many difficulties in sending aid to the country’s oppressed people, as well as UN-sponsored peace talks.
The Yemeni crisis began in 2015 with Saudi Arabia invading its southern neighbor and has continued for six years.