‘Dawn’ in its editorial comments on Wednesday said Yemen’s Houthi movement, also known as Ansarullah, is one of the primary political players in that country.
Principally representing the country’s northern Zaidi Shia tribes, it has been in the thick of Yemen’s civil war, as well as the confrontation with the Saudi-led coalition that began in 2015.
“The group’s political wing has strong roots in northern Yemen,” it said.
The Pakistani newspaper said it is unclear what the logic behind the move is, other than to present a parting gift to the House of Saud.
It added the move has attracted criticism from within the US, as well as internationally. “The UN says the designation is “likely to have serious humanitarian and political repercussions” while some American lawmakers have also opposed the move,” said Dawn.
The paper says the fact is that branding the Houthis as terrorists will have very little, if any, impact on ending the Yemeni conflict, adding the US move is likely to further complicate an already tangled situation.
It said therefore, it is hoped the Biden administration takes practical steps to end the war in this impoverished country.
"This can primarily be achieved by letting the Saudis know that America favors a negotiated settlement rather than an endless cycle of violence," said the editorial.
It said millions of Yemenis are suffering from chronic hunger and disease; what they need is an immediate end to this destructive war and the rebuilding of their lives and country.
The US State Department announced last Monday that it intends to add the Yemeni Ansarullah movement to its list of terrorist organizations.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also announced that the ministry had informed Congress of its decision to include Ansarullah on the "foreign terrorist organization" list.
For more than six years, Yemen has witnessed a war in which 23,300 people have lost their lives as a result of attacks by the Saudi-led Arab coalition with the support of the United States and the Zionist regime, and according to the United Nations, 80% of the population is about 30 million.
Yemen is in dire need of global assistance to survive the worst humanitarian crisis, but the conflict has become more complicated due to regional issues.
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Sudan, and Egypt, has launched a military invasion of Yemen and a land, sea, and air blockade to support the fugitive Yemeni President al-Mansour Hadi.
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