STC WELCOMES US DESIGNATION OF HOUTHIS

[ADEN – 17 JANUARY] In response to the US Government’s decision to designate the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, the Southern Transitional Council has welcomed the announcement as part of the international community’s response to the threat and instability installed by the Houthis. 

As seen in recent weeks, the Houthis have been undertaking acts of terrorism against international vessels operating in the Red Sea and the Bab-al-Mandab strait. These actions have put global trade and regional stability in jeopardy. However, at the forefront of the suffering caused by these actions of the Houthis have been ordinary people of Yemen, in the North and the South. There are now less urgent goods coming into our ports given the threat across the shipping lanes, and the prices of food and medicine have seen a significant increase for a population that needs urgent access to humanitarian assistance. 

The false narrative of the Houthis is clear. The acts of terror we are witnessing in the Red Sea and the Bab-al-Mandab are an attempt by the Houthis to cover up the tyranny and suffering they have endured across Yemen for the last eight years.

It is against this background that we have welcomed the US step announced today. It is critical that this policy decision be seen through the lens of a comprehensive approach to effectively deterring the threat of the Houthis and creating a conducive environment for a political settlement for the Yemen conflict. This means a designation package that does not have loopholes the Houthis could exploit and effectively target the financial network of the Houthis and their backer, the malign Iranian regime. 

We now call on our international partners to follow the decision made by the US and to coordinate this action with us and other partners within the PLC to ensure a coherent and joined-up approach.