Houthis protest in Sanaa over US 'terrorist' designation

(25 Jan 2021) Thousands of armed Houthis and their supporters protested in Sanaa's old city on Monday to condemn a decision by the US State Department to designate the Houthi group as a "terrorist organization”. Militants and supporters of the Iranian-backed rebels marched carrying banners condemning the US move, which took effect on January 19, just hours before former US President Donald Trump left the White House. The Houthis have controlled the capital, Sanaa, and large areas of Yemen since 2014, and have been fighting daily battles against forces loyal to the internationally-recognized government backed by a Saudi-led military coalition since March 2015. The classification is expected to hinder many dealings with the Houthis, including financial transfers and payments for medical staff, food and fuel, for fear of being subject to US sanctions. The US move prompted the U.N. secretary-general and other humanitarian officials to urge Washington to reverse the designation to prevent massive famine and death in Yemen. Twenty-two aid groups working on Yemen Sunday called for the designation to be “revoked immediately,” warning about “potentially catastrophic humanitarian impact.” Yemen is in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. The war that has killed more than 112,000 people and wrecked the country’s roads, hospitals, water and electricity networks, as well as other infrastructure. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...