The United Arab Emirates is pressuring the United Kingdom to designate the Houthis in Yemen as a terrorist group, NGO and U.K. government sources tell Devex.
Such a designation has the potential to tip Yemen into famine — there are 17 million people suffering from food insecurity — and thwart a fragile peace process, according to humanitarian experts, who fear it could keep the Houthis from engaging in negotiations.
The Home Office is the U.K. government department that determines whether to declare if armed groups are terrorists or not. It is said to be mulling the decision as donors prepare for a United Nations pledging conference for Yemen on Wednesday, which humanitarian workers expect will be underfunded.
Yemen is highly dependent on imports for basic supplies, which have already been limited because of the conflict affecting the country. The situation could become even worse, as 42% of wheat that was imported into Yemen between December and March came from Ukraine, according to Oxfam. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is expected to disrupt grain exports and raise prices globally.
“Proscribing the Houthis risks pouring a great cold chill over the willingness of commercial food providers, shippers, insurers and bankers to bring food into the country,” Mark Lowcock, former undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator at the U.N., told Devex. He added: “The vast majority of food comes in commercially — aid agencies provide people with cash or vouchers to acquire it. No food coming in rapidly turns into mass starvation in the circumstances Yemen faces.”
The Houthis were designated a “foreign terrorist” organization by former U.S. President Donald Trump in his final days in office. The move sparked fear among aid workers who worried they would run afoul of U.S. law if they operated in areas of the country controlled by the Houthis — particularly in northern Yemen, where most of the population lives. The decision was later reversed by President Joe Biden.
But in January, Biden was reported to be reconsidering designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization following an attack the group carried out against UAE in January.
“We are clear re-proscription [of the Houthis by the U.S. and U.K.] would be a disaster,” a source at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office told Devex, speaking on condition of anonymity because they did not have clearance to speak to the media. “[Her Majesty’s Government] as a whole understands the serious consequences of designation.”
A second FCDO source told Devex that the Home Office was “very unpredictable” but that it would ultimately be a ministerial decision.
“The government does not routinely comment on whether or not an organization is being considered for proscription,” a Home Office spokesperson said.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to travel this week to UAE and Saudi Arabia, which are both fighting the Houthis in Yemen, to discuss increasing oil production amid a looming domestic energy crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has previously touted development partnerships with the Persian Gulf states.
The Houthi attack on oil tankers in Abu Dhabi in January, which killed three people, is believed to have sparked UAE’s demands for the group to be designated as terrorists, one of the FCDO officials said.
The Houthi attack was followed by a U.N. Security Council meeting that saw UAE retract demands for maritime inspections on goods into Yemen — which it was feared would also hamper essential imports — in return for states to consider designating the Houthis as a terrorist group, according to an NGO worker briefed by U.K. officials, who spoke anonymously to Devex to discuss sensitive information.
Abdulwasea Mohammed, policy and advocacy lead for Oxfam in Yemen, said the consequences would be “catastrophic” for Yemenis and would mean “humanitarian actors cannot do anything in the northern part of the country.”
During a phone interview in which gunfire echoed in the background, Mohammed added that it would “definitely” harm the peace process and potentially amounted to its “cancellation … because they cannot, in the end, negotiate with terrorists.”
Tamuna Sabadze, country director for Yemen at the International Rescue Committee, said: "The response in Yemen is already being squeezed. Last year, the U.K. cut its aid budget to Yemen by almost 60%. Reports that it is now considering sanctions against the authorities in the north are deeply concerning.”
Sabadze added: “We know that sanctions, even against individuals [rather than the entire group], can have wider chilling effects on the ability of importers and humanitarians to operate due to fear of prosecution. In an import-dependent country where 20 million people already require humanitarian assistance, and where the Ukraine crisis threatens to increase the cost of food even further, any steps that undermine the humanitarian and commercial response will be disastrous for Yemenis.”
FCDO and the UAE Embassy in London did not respond to Devex’s requests for comment by press time.
About the author
William Worley@willrworley
Will Worley is the Climate Correspondent for Devex, covering the intersection of development and climate change. He previously worked as UK Correspondent, reporting on the FCDO and British aid policy during a time of seismic reforms. Will’s extensive reporting on the UK aid cuts saw him shortlisted for ‘Specialist Journalist of the Year’ in 2021 by the British Journalism Awards. He can be reached at william.worley@devex.com.
