Yemen's Leningrad: The Unforeseen Consequences of the State Department's
Houthi Designation
The recent US designation of Yemen's Houthis all but guarantees a resurgence
of Saudi-backed extremists in the region and could serve to galvanize the
group as a stalwart against US-Israeli designs for the Middle East, reports
Ahmed Abdulkareem from Yemen.
by Ahmed Abdulkareem
Mint Press News
January 18th, 2021
By Ahmed Abdulkareem
FacebookTwitterRedditEmailMore11
The war-torn country of Yemen is in the midst of the largest humanitarian
crisis in the world thanks in large part to a Saudi-led war fueled by
American weapons. Now, as the war nears its six-year anniversary in March,
any hopes for a diplomatic resolution have faded faster than the presidency
of Donald Trump, whose outgoing administration recently announced plans to
designate the Houthi rebels, the principal force battling both the Saudi-led
Coalition and al-Qaeda militants in Yemen, as a foreign terrorist
organization. The move effectively eliminates any ray of hope for the more
than 24 million people struggling for survival amid war, siege, famine, and
countless diseases and epidemics, according to the United Nations.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that the State
Department would notify Congress of its intent to designate Ansar Allah,
known colloquially as the Houthis, as a foreign terrorist organization as
well as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity. Of note is the fact
Ansar Allah does not own a single company, nor does it own a single bank
account outside of Yemen. In fact, ranking members rarely even travel
outside of the country's borders. Pompeo's announcement was met with alarm
by the United Nations, international aid groups, and diplomats who warned
that the move would further inflame the situation on the ground, upend any
hope for peace talks and exacerbate the country's humanitarian crisis.
Predictably, Pompeo's move treats Saudi Arabia as a victim instead of the
perpetrator, and perhaps of no surprise to many historians, Saudi Arabia and
the militant groups that it backs in Yemen appear to have already taken that
message to heart. Since Pompeo's statement was issued, Saudi warplanes have
launched over 200 airstrikes targeting the Sana'a International Airport and
the provinces of Marib, Sadaa, Hajjah, and Al-Jawf. Local prisoner exchange
deals have stalled and UNICEF has announced plans to stop supplying some
water pumps in Sana'a with fuel, according to the Sana'a-based Ministry of
Water, who went on to say that the move could potentially harm up to four
million people, including the many displaced people taking shelter in the
city.
"Pure diplomatic vandalism"
The United Nations warned of major repercussions for international
assistance to a country with a "growing risk of famine." Mark Lowcock, the
UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, said of the designation,
"What is the likely humanitarian impact? The answer is a large-scale famine
on a scale that we have not seen for nearly 40 years." He added that
exemptions to allow aid agencies to deliver supplies, as suggested by
Washington, would not be sufficient to avoid a famine, adding "what would
prevent it? A reversal of the decision."
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric echoed that sentiment, warning that "The
decision is likely to have serious humanitarian and political
repercussions." Dujarric was likely referring to the fact that the
designation will likely dissuade third parties from engaging in any
transactions with Houthi authorities for fear of U.S. prosecution.
It wasn't just the UN that condemned the move either. David Miliband,
president of the International Rescue Committee called the move, "pure
diplomatic vandalism," adding that "the last thing the Yemeni people need is
further interruption of aid and economic flows." The International Rescue
Committee had already ranked Yemen as the top crisis in the world at risk of
deterioration in 2021 and said that 24 million Yemenis are at catastrophic
humanitarian risk following the designation of Ansar Allah. While the
Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the most active aid groups in Yemen, said
that the U.S. must ensure sanctions do not block aid from entering "a
country already in the middle of a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe."
Save the Children warned that the measures could "threaten the supply of
lifesaving food, fuel, and medicine," and French aid group Action Contre la
Faim (ACF) declared that the designation would have "an immediate impact."
Not surprisingly, the decision will impact Ansar Allah-controlled areas of
northern Yemen the most, but eh the effects will be felt across the entire
country - delaying or even halting not only the import of food, medicine,
and other humanitarian goods but commercial goods as well, according to the
UN. Yemen imports 90% of its food items and the new designation is likely to
slow or even stop imports at a time when thousands are at risk of famine.
"The U.S. government's action today is likely to tip the scale towards
economic meltdown, famine, and death." the UN said.
To compare Secretary of State Pompeo's decision to that of Adolf Hitler's
intentional starving of Leningrad is no exaggeration. Hitler launched a
brutal siege against the three million residents of Leningrad in 1941 in an
effort to starve its civilians into submission in one of the most notorious
and brutal crimes in history. In many ways, the State Department's decision
is much worse and sets a far more dangerous precedent. In fact, World War
II's Siege of Leningrad stands as a chilling reminder of the toll that the
Trump administration's decision could potentially have on the civilian
population in Yemen, particularly the 13 million people who live in the
north of the country.
Paving the way for an al-Qaeda Resurgence
The designation of the Houthis was predictably met with ire from the group's
allies and supporters in Yemen and abroad. It is being seen as an attempt to
balkanize the country and subject its western half to the sort of perpetual
famine and suffering endured by nearby Somalia.
There are also fears that the move will hamper the ability of the Houthis to
combat Saudi-backed extremist forces in Yemen, especially al-Qaeda in the
Arabian Peninsula and IS, allowing them to use Yemen and a launching group
to plan and carry out terrorist operations inside the United States and the
European Union, according to Yemeni security experts who spoke to MintPress.
"The environment in Yemen will become more encouraging for the prosperity of
al-Qaeda and IS after Washington's decision against the Ansar Allah forces,
who cleared most areas in the north country including al-Bayda province, a
stronghold of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
As Saudi Forces Flee Northern Yemen, Evidence of an Unholy Alliance with
Al-Qaeda is Left Behind
Ahmed Abdulkareem traveled through Yemen's recently liberated al-Jawf to see
firsthand the devastation left behind by al-Qaeda militants backed by Saudi
Arabia.
MintPress News | Ahmed Abdulkareem | May 1, 2020
The Houthi-led government in Sana'a, known as the National Salvation
Government of the Republic (NSG) of Yemen said in a statement that Pompeo`s
plan to designate Ansar Allah is an unprecedented act of hostility. They
warned the international community and the countries sponsoring the peace
process in Yemen of the consequences of the move, "We have the will to
defend our country by taking appropriate steps towards the American decision
if it takes place including reciprocity," the NSG said. The statement added
that" The steadfastness of our people and their sincere bias towards the
issues of the nation, particularly the Palestinian cause as well as the
rejection of the normalization project, was not acceptable to the Trump
administration."
Even some of Yemen's political rivals in the country have come out against
the designation. General People's Congress Party, the largest political
party in the country and the party of Saudi-backed President Abdrabbuh
Mansur Hadi, said in a statement that the Trump administration's decision
will have major negative repercussions on peace and political settlement,
and will complicate international efforts. The Nasserist Reform Organisation
also strongly condemned the State Department's decision, describing it as a
hostile and irresponsible act aimed at serving the personal interest of
presidents who struggle to stay in the White House. The Tribal Cohesion
Council, the highest tribal body in Yemen said "we consider [the United
States] decision as a source of pride showing that Yemenis have become a
challenge to them in the region" and called on tribal leaders to mobilize
fighters.
What's behind a designation?
The Houthis, for their part, have downplayed the impact of the decision,
warning that it not only means that a peace deal can not be achieved but
that the United States could now be directly targeted by the group.
The Trump administration's assessment of the situation in Yemen, officials
say, is flawed, as the Houthis have never threatened the United States
unlike al-Qaeda, IS, or the Taliban. And unlike those groups, the Houthis
are well-armed with ballistic missiles, drones, and gunboats and Houthi
attacks on the Saudi-led Coalition have always been retaliatory and not
preemptive.
Moreover, they warn, any U.S. military action against the Houthis under the
pretext of fighting terrorism will serve to gain the group even more
supporters in the Middle East, as it is one of the few left in the Arab
world to stand in opposition to Washington's support for Israel's
internationally-recognized theft of Palestinian land. The Houthis see that
policy as a major driving force in the U.S. decision to designate them and
maintain that it will serve to garner them even more popular support both
inside of Yemen and across the Islamic and Arab world.
"An Israeli Blitzkrieg" Signs Point to Imminent Israeli Military Action in
Yemen
In 2021, an all-out military confrontation between forces in Yemen, and the
Saudi-Coalition and Israel, seems all but inevitable.
MintPress News | Ahmed Abdulkareem | Jan 13
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a leading member of Yemen's Supreme Political
Council said in a series of tweets that "the Trump administration's policy
and actions are terrorist. We reserve the right to respond to any
designation issued by the Trump administration or any administration." He
also called for the "formation of independent investigation committees for
each crime committed in the country."
Ultimately, the decision to designate the Houthis seems aimed at stirring
chaos in an already chaotic theater. It spurs on violence by using a
political decision as a gruesome tactic to incite Yemenis against the
Houthis by compounding the suffering of those in their midst. It is an
alternative to the six-year-long failed attempt to take over the whole
country by brute military force, despite the fact that that attempt has been
fueled with billions of dollars worth of advanced weapons, intelligence
information, and training, in addition to active participation in the
blockade.
