Washington DC (South24) 

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On Tuesday March 4, the United States (US) formally added the Houthis to the list of ’Foreign Terrorist Organizations‘, implementing the order passed by President Donald Trump on January 22.

In a statement, the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the decision fulfils one of President Trump’s first promises upon taking office. He added that “the Houthis’ activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade.”  

According to the statement, “Since 2023, the Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as US service members defending freedom of navigation and our regional partners.” Rubio remarked that “most recently, the Houthis spared Chinese-flagged ships while targeting American and allied vessels.”

The statement warned that the US will not tolerate any country engaging with terrorist organizations like the Houthis in the name of “practicing legitimate international business”.  It stressed that the FTO designation aims to undermine financial support and facilities delivered to the group. 

The statement pointed out that the “designation is taken pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended. FTO designations go into effect upon publication in the Federal Register”.

Moreover, the US State Department’s Reward for Justice program announced an offer of up to $15 million and possible re-location for information leading to the disruption of financial mechanisms of the Houthis. 

The decision is based upon Executive Order 14175 issued by President Trump on January 22, 2025, which laid the legal basis for designating the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. 

The order included directions to strictly monitor the financial flows that support the Houthis. It requires the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to review any organizations that deal indirectly with the group and take measures to stop any potential funding.

In this regard, the UNSC adopted on Monday resolution 2776 (2025) which extends the sanctions imposed on the Somali movement ’Al-Shabaab‘, renews the mandate of the Panel of Experts, and highlights the illegal flow of weapons from Yemen to Somalia and its relation to enhancing the capabilities of the terrorist group. 

Following the vote, the UK representative in the UNSC said that “the adopted resolution also recognizes the particular concern posed by flows of weapons from Yemen to Somalia. Al-Shabaab’s links to the Houthis are part of a wider pattern of Houthi destabilizing activity beyond Yemen’s borders”, adding that the 2713 and 2140 sanctions committees “should coordinate closely to monitor and counter this trend”. 

For its part, France stressed that “It is vital to prevent Al-Shabaab from establishing and exploiting ties with groups under sanctions in the region including the Houthis.” 

The US “expressed concern about growing ties between Al-Shabaab and the Houthis”. It “encouraged dialogue between the Yemen and Al-Shabaab sanctions panels and regional countries” to “shed light on and ultimately sever the ties between the Houthis and Al-Shabaab”.