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1 1 (January 29, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govebmn0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional a Research Service informing the I gislative debate since 1914____________________ Yemen: Recent Terrorism Designations January 29, 2021 Overview On January 19, 2021, the Trump Administration designated the Yemeni group Ansar Allah (Arabic for the Partisans of God), commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). In notifying Congress, (per 8 U.S.C. @1189), then- Secretary of State Michael Pompeo identified that the Houthis were closely linked to Iran and that the designations were intended to hold the Houthis accountable for terrorist acts. The designations reportedly had been under consideration for months, though aid organizations repeatedly cautioned that designations would exacerbate what the United Nations presently considers the world's worst humanitarian crisis. On January 19, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued general licenses to allow for the continued provision of humanitarian goods to Yemen, and the Trump Administration claimed that these exemptions would mitigate any humanitarian impact. Nevertheless, the United Nations warned that the designations would put more than 5 million people in some northern governorates at risk of famine and called for them to be lifted. Commercial food imports account for 90% of Yemen's food supply and, under U.S. law, private importers are not exempt from criminal liability for material support to an FTO (18 U.S.C. §2339B). On January 25, OFAC issued anew general license exempting nearly all sanctions restrictions on transactions with the Houthis until February 26, 2021, while the policy is reviewed. A day earlier, the Houthis had announced they would participate in U.N.- sponsored prisoner release negotiations. Conflict Background Seven years ago, after a nationwide attempt at political reconciliation failed, the Houthis seized large swaths of Yemen. In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners intervened at the behest of the Republic of Yemen government (ROYG), conducting air strikes and ground operations against Houthi-held territory (see Figure 1). Since then, conflict has continued unabated, leading to estimates of over 130,000 Yemeni casualties. U.N. officials have attempted to broker a nation-wide cease-fire, but the Houthis have continued to advance militarily while using Iranian knowledge and military aid to attack Saudi Arabian territory. The war repeatedly results in civilian casualties, leading the United Nations to charge that all parties have committed violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11585 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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