Houthi expulsion of aid workers could push millions of Yemenis into famine

Houthi supporters hold up their rifles as they take part in a pro-Palestinian protest in Sanaa, Yemen February 18, 2024.

At the end of January, the Houthis ordered all American and British staff members working for the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen to leave the country within 30 days.

The order came in the wake of American and British airstrikes against Houthi targets and after the US designated the Iran-aligned Houthis a terrorist organization in mid-January.

The US-UK strikes followed Houthi attacks on ships of various nationalities in the Red Sea since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, with the Houthis claiming that their attacks were against nationalities affiliated with or supporting Israel in the war.

Humanitarian activists and workers in Yemen consider the Houthis’ order a serious escalation that could exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, already once described by the UN as the world’s worst.

The risk Houthi orders pose to Yemeni people

Mohammed Hussein, a staff member in a UN organization in Yemen, told The Media Line that the Houthis’ decision could push millions of Yemenis who depend on humanitarian aid towards famine and disease.

“The Houthis, during the years of war, have used all means to obstruct humanitarian and relief work in Yemen, through the suspension activities and the detention of aid workers,” Hussein said. “The recent decision, whether implemented or not, could hinder peace efforts and humanitarian work in Yemen.”

People walk past a graffiti, depicting a Houthi fighter stopping an Israeli ship off the coast of Yemen, painted on a wall of the Saudi embassy in Sanaa, Yemen February 15, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

People walk past a graffiti, depicting a Houthi fighter stopping an Israeli ship off the coast of Yemen, painted on a wall of the Saudi embassy in Sanaa, Yemen February 15, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/KHALED ABDULLAH)

Hussein said that many humanitarian workers are in fear because of the Houthi order, and that holders of other nationalities, including Arab ones, see it as a threat.

“The Houthis’ consistent methodology of ultimatums could lead humanitarian organizations to leave the country or move to the internationally recognized government areas, which would pose a significant difficulty in delivering humanitarian aid to Yemenis,” he said.

Yemenis are divided between supporters and opponents of the decision, with some agreeing with it as showing support for the Palestinian cause and giving a clear response to the bombing of Houthi targets by American and British forces.

However, many consider the decision, along with the Houthis’ military actions in the Red Sea, a cover for the Houthis’ inability to manage political and economic affairs, as well as for the calamities the Houthis have brought upon Yemen during almost a decade of civil war.

“The Houthis do not want peace for this country. With their actions, they invited Americans to strike Yemen,” Saleh Al-Raimi, 32, a resident of the Houthi-controlled capital, Sana’a, told The Media Line. “We are tired of wars and poverty. We want security, safety, and a stable livelihood. We are not ready for any new war, we want peace.”

Al-Raimi, like many Yemenis, blames the Houthis and their attacks on ships in the Red Sea for the continuing political and economic crisis in Yemen.

He said the Houthis had lost some popular support in the absence of peace talks to resolve the Yemeni civil war and in particular after the American and British strikes, and they were exploiting the Palestinian cause to avoid their commitments towards Yemenis.

Some said that with the decision to expel the humanitarian workers, the Houthis had found a way to use humanitarian work and military operations as pressure cards to impact the anticipated peace talks and implement their own ideology.

Najmuddin Qasim, a Yemeni political journalist, told The Media Line that the Houthis were surprised by the US and UK airstrikes.

“Houthis were surprised by the American and British military operations and began to count their political and economic losses due to the decision to reclassify them as a terrorist group,” Qasim said.

He said the suspension of the peace talks and the lack of international support for the Houthis had affected the group.

“As a result, the Houthis drew up new plans and prepared pressure cards on the international community, such as obstructing aid in Yemen and the ongoing threats to companies and organizations working in the humanitarian sector, in addition to their ongoing military operations,” he said.

Qasim said that even if the Israel-Hamas war ends, he believes the Houthis will continue their maritime military operations to do Iran’s bidding in the region, as these operations were a very effective method for exerting international pressure.

“The Houthis found in their military operations a golden opportunity to achieve their goals and exert pressure for future political and economic gains,” Qasim said. “We are in front of a new stage of piracy, which the Houthis will exploit for years in multiple agendas and issues, and they will not give up this card.”

Houthi leaders have said that their actions are a result of the Israel-Hamas war, and they have ruled out stopping their operations until Israel stops. They said that entering into a confrontation with the US or the UK was expected and would not deter them from proceeding with their political and military decisions.

The Media Line reached out to Issa Al-Samawi, an administrative employee in the Houthi-controlled Foreign Ministry, to obtain an overview of the Houthi position.

“All options are available to the leadership of Ansar Allah [the official name of the Houthi movement] for responding to the American and British aggression. Yemen has been at war with these regimes and their allies in the region for years,” Al-Samawi said.

He said that the decision to classify the Houthis as a terrorist organization “means nothing.”

“We are continuing all our operations that ensure the achievement of our goals and the goals of the resistance in the region. We have our sovereignty in the Red and Arabian Seas, we have the freedom to act in a way that ensures achieving the leadership’s goals,” Al-Samawi said.