Biden administration refuses to re-designate Houthi Rebels as terrorists

The State Department says it will not re-list the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen as a terrorist group, despite lobbying from lawmakers and human rights activists. 

Re-designating the rebels is not a priority for the agency, officials said Monday according to The Foreign Desk.

State officials are instead focused on the United Nations-mediated truce in Yemen, considering the country has been torn by civil war since 2014.

Democrat President Biden delisted the Houthis as a terrorist group less than a month after taking office in January 201 in a reversal of a Trump-era policy.

In a letter sent coinciding with Biden's recent visit to the region, 35 human rights organizations, led by the Yemeni Coalition for Independent Women, called on the president to re-list the Houthis.

"The Houthis have responded to your administration’s offer of compassion and conciliation with disdain," the group wrote.  "After a year and 5 months, it is empirically evident that this policy and approach towards the Houthis has failed at curbing Houthi behavior and improving the humanitarian crisis."