New Delhi: Just a day before Joseph Biden takes over as president, the United States’ designation of Houthis insurgent group as a foreign terrorist organisation will come into force. It will be one of the several last-minute decisions of secretary of state Mike Pompeo that the incoming administration will have to reckon with as they propel themselves into the hurly-burly of international politics.
But the US got a taste of the ire that the latest action in Yemen has roiled up in world capitals at the Security Council’s open briefing on Yemen.
Last week in the Council, there were discussions on UN missions in West Africa and Mali, along with a signature event chaired by the Tunisian prime minister and issuance of a presidential statement on threats to international peace and security from terrorism.
However, it was the open briefing on Yemen which saw sparks fly.
On January 14, one senior UN official after another slammed the US move to designate Ansar Allah (also known as Houthis), as it would negatively impact the peace talks and further deteriorate the humanitarian situation.
While US’s move talks of cutting off funds to the Houthis and issuing a travel ban, the measure was primarily aimed at paring back Iranian influence, with the Saudi government enthusiastically supporting it. The foreign minister of the new Saudi-backed government in Yemen also backed the designation of Houthis as a terror group at the Security Council’s virtual briefing on Thursday.
The Saudis had always been pushing for the US to take a hardline position by designating the Houthis. But it was last month’s attack at Aden airport just after the arrival of the new Yemeni cabinet, that gave a justification for Pompeo to finally take the step.
While the US had claimed that it would put in measure to give license to aid agencies, Mark Lowcook, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, pointed out that 90% of Yemen’s food imports are through commercial channels.
“Aid agencies give people vouchers or cash to buy commercially imported food in the market. Aid agencies cannot – they simply cannot – replace the commercial import system,” he noted.
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Yemeni companies had been “moving mountains” to operate their “very risk-averse global supply chains – including the suppliers, banks, insurers and shipping lines”. Now Yemeni firms are hearing form their international partners that they plan to walk away altogether. “They say the risks are too high. They fear being accidentally or otherwise caught up in US regulatory action which would put them out of business or into jail.”
The “best case estimate” for the Yemeni importers is that costs would rise by 400%, said Lowcook. “Already, Yemenis are crowding into to markets and shops to stockpile whatever they can afford. Families are terrified that no more food or other supplies will make it into the country.”
UN World Food Programme’s executive director David Beasely told the Council that the US designation, which would force 80% of the population into severe hunger, was a “death sentence to hundreds and thousands if not millions”.
Similarly, UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths was apprehensive that the designation would have a “chilling effect” on the peace talks. Still, he added that he was committed to talking all parties, including the Houthis, “designated or not”.
After listening to the worried UN officials, eight of the 15 members of the Council explicitly criticised the US designation as harmful in further complicating Yemen’s situation.
Among the permanent members, Russia and China were predictable opponents, but even France also expressed “serious concern” about the humanitarian impact of the US’s move.
Mexico described the US decision as being “counter to international law”, with Ireland, Norway and Estonia expressing alarm at the evolving fallout from implementing sanctions against the Houthis.
The West African state of Niger welcomed Saudi Arabia’s mediation that led to the new government’s formation. However, the Niger representative also added that designating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organisation would negatively affect both the peace process and humanitarian aid supply.
The Indian representative at the virtual briefing made no direct reference to the US designation of Ansar Allah, but he also made “note” of UN special envoy’s “efforts to initiate dialogue between the Government of Yemen and Ansar Allah”.
“We believe that creating a conducive environment for such talks is also vital. Cessation of violence and other confidence-building measures, like prisoner exchanges, can help create such an environment. We encourage all parties to explore these measures,” stated India’s permanent representative to UN, T.S. Tirumurti.
He also specifically acknowledged the Gulf Cooperation Council’s role, following the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, in forging a unity government in Yemen.
In a sign of New Delhi’s close relations with Riyadh, India also commended that recent positive steps in the political steps had “triggered a wave of hope”. “We appreciate the role played by Saudi Arabia and others in facilitating these developments. We also commend the new government’s resolve to continue its efforts towards achieving peace and stability in Yemen, despite the recent attacks.”
The Yemeni conflict erupted in 2015 after a Saudi-led coalition started a military campaign against the Houthi rebels, who were themselves backed by Iran. During the bombing campaign, India brought back over 4,600 citizens from Yemen in an evacuation drive through ship and planes.
“We are listening,” said the US representative to the concerns of the UN and Council members over the designation of the Houthis. However, he defended the step and called on other parties to recognise Ansar Allah for the “terrorist organisation it is”. The US diplomat claimed that since the political process had yielded limited results, “additional steps were needed”.
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On Monday, Tunisia will be hosting another debate as president of Council on cooperation between the UN and League of Arab States. Besides, there will be consultations on the UN mission in Cyprus, and the situation in Syria and Colombia during the rest of the week.
With the US in transition mode, the mood in the first two weeks within the UN Security Council in 2021 were about waiting out for the new Biden administration to begin work from January 20.
Biden has nominated a career foreign service officer, Linda Thomas Greenfield, as the US ambassador to the United Nations. According to analysts, her nomination is a signal that Biden wants to turn back the clock from the Trump administration’s combative approach to the multilateral organisation.
Significantly, Greenfield will also have cabinet post in the Biden administration. While Trump’s first UN envoy Nikki Haley had a cabinet rank, her successor Kelly Craft didn’t have that position during her tenure.
Out of 30 US permanent representative since 1946, at least 20 had cabinet rank. “Overall, it appears that many Presidents who have granted Cabinet status did so to prioritise sustained engagement and coordination with the United Nations as an element of US foreign policy,” said a report of the US Congressional Research service.
It remains to be seen how quickly the Biden administration will hit the ground running on conflicts like Yemen and fulfil expectations that there will be a reversal of recent US decision on the designation of the Houthis.
This is a weekly column that tracks the UNSC during India’s current term as a non-permanent member. Previous columns can be found here.
