Yemen’s southern political movement says it supports the US plan to designate the Houthi rebels as terrorists, a move that could hamper aid deliveries in the war-torn nation.
Mohamed Al Ghaithi, from the Southern Transitional Council negotiating team in Saudi Arabia, said the mooted US designation was “long overdue” in an online meeting on Tuesday.
The outgoing Trump administration is reportedly planning to classify the Iran-backed Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organisation”, a move that would make it harder for aid workers and others to co-operate with the group.
"This is a step that should have really taken place from Day 1," Mr Al Ghaithi told The National.
“What the Houthis represent is simply that: a terrorist organisation that kills, occupies, detains and does everything that a terrorist does. Therefore, it would be a step that has been long overdue.”
The US State Department reportedly plans to label the Houthis as terrorists in one of the Trump administration’s final efforts to exert “maximum pressure” on Iran and its allies before vacating the White House on January 20.
Americans and organisations under US jurisdiction are banned from providing “material support” to any group that has been deemed a terrorist entity by the State Department. US banks are obliged to freeze funds linked to terrorist groups.
Oxfam America and other big charities have lobbied Washington against making the designation, saying the risk of exposure to US sanctions would deter aid groups from operating in Yemen’s Houthi-run north.
"Humanitarian organisations operating in Yemen are preparing for our work to become even more challenging," Scott Paul, Oxfam America's humanitarian policy lead, told The National.
“This designation is going to put Yemeni people’s lives at risk.”
Yemen is on the brink of a devastating famine that would claim millions of lives after six years of war, an economic and currency collapse and the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the UN.
Nizar Haitham, an STC spokesman in Aden, said aid was being diverted from those who need it in Yemen’s Houthi-run north.
“Aid has been channelled through agencies that are known to be from the north,” Mr Haitham said.
“Very little of that aid reaches the south and there have been examples of depots of foodstuff which has become past its use-by date because of the corruption and the way that these agencies deal with aid.”
A military coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen in 2015, backing government forces against the rebels. The Arab coalition is assisted by western powers including Britain and the US.
The Houthi rebels hold the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. The STC controls Aden and much of the south and has co-operated with coalition forces while pursuing a longer-term goal of an independent southern state.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Fighting with My Family
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Nick Frost, Lena Headey, Florence Pugh, Thomas Whilley, Tori Ellen Ross, Jack Lowden, Olivia Bernstone, Elroy Powell
Four stars
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
If you go
The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
The 10 Questions
- Is there a God?
- How did it all begin?
- What is inside a black hole?
- Can we predict the future?
- Is time travel possible?
- Will we survive on Earth?
- Is there other intelligent life in the universe?
- Should we colonise space?
- Will artificial intelligence outsmart us?
- How do we shape the future?
If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Who is Tim-Berners Lee?
Sir Tim Berners-Lee was born in London in a household of mathematicians and computer scientists. Both his mother, Mary Lee, and father, Conway, were early computer scientists who worked on the Ferranti 1 - the world's first commercially-available, general purpose digital computer. Sir Tim studied Physics at the University of Oxford and held a series of roles developing code and building software before moving to Switzerland to work for Cern, the European Particle Physics laboratory. He developed the worldwide web code as a side project in 1989 as a global information-sharing system. After releasing the first web code in 1991, Cern made it open and free for all to use. Sir Tim now campaigns for initiatives to make sure the web remains open and accessible to all.
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
START-UPS%20IN%20BATCH%204%20OF%20SANABIL%20500'S%20ACCELERATOR%20PROGRAMME
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence".
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- The Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
