Today, Monday, US lawmakers rejected the decision by the State Department to designate the Yemeni Houthi group a terrorist organization, while the United Nations warned of the humanitarian repercussions of the move.
Prominent American lawmakers believed that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's decision to classify the Houthis as a "terrorist" group would further exacerbate the humanitarian crisis.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said that "designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization is a death sentence for thousands of Yemenis."
For his part, the United Nations spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said that the US decision to classify the Houthis as "terrorists" would "cause dangerous humanitarian and political repercussions."
"We fear that the classification will have a negative impact on imports of foodstuffs and other basic commodities at a time when more Yemenis are starving to death," Dujarric said.
He expressed the international organization’s fear of a “harmful effect on the efforts aimed at resuming the political process in Yemen and giving more polarization to the positions of the parties to the conflict.”
"The growing threat of famine in Yemen necessitates that the United States quickly grant the necessary licenses and exemptions to ensure that humanitarian aid continues to reach all who need it across the country without interruption," he added.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that the Houthi group would be included on the list of "terrorist" groups, along with 3 of its leaders, most notably its leader, Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi.