Yemeni Gov't Welcomes US Designation of Houthi As Terrorist Organization

On Monday, the Yemen government welcomed the US decision to designate the Houthi militia as "a terrorist organization," according to the Yemeni Foreign Ministry.

In a statement, the ministry said that the Yemeni government welcomed the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's announcement to designate Houthi militia as a terrorist organization.

"The Houthis deserve to be classified as a terrorist organization for causing the worst humanitarian catastrophe in the world," the statement read.

The Yemeni government also called on the international community to intensify pressure on the Houthis to reach a peaceful solution.

"The Houthi militia should abandon the terrorist approach and stop obstructing peace efforts," the ministry said, affirming the Yemeni government's steadfast support to Washington's move "for the sake of resolving the conflict".

Late on Sunday, Pompeo announced that his department would notify the Congress of its intention to designate the Yemeni Houthi group, known as Ansar Allah, as a foreign terrorist organization.

In response to criticisms by humanitarian aid agencies, Pompeo said that his department has prepared a plan to prevent impact of the move on the humanitarian activities and the supply of aid to Yemen.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014, when the Houthi rebels seized control of several northern provinces and forced the internationally-recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million and pushed Yemen to the brink of starvation.