Washington, May 21, (dpa/GNA) – The United States government is imposing sanctions on two leaders from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the US Treasury and State Department announced Thursday.
They are accused of being responsible for military deployments that destabilize Yemen and exacerbate the country’s humanitarian crisis.
Muhammad Abd Al-Karim al-Ghamari was designated for his role in orchestrating attacks that injured civilians, most recently in Marib province.
The offensive led by al-Ghamari in Marib “compounds human suffering,” the Treasury said.
Commander Yusuf al-Madani is being designated on the basis that he poses a risk of committing acts of terrorism, the Treasury said.
The US sanctions freeze possible assets the Houthi leaders may have in the country and mean US companies and people are not allowed to do business with them. In practice it will also make international financial transactions more difficult for them.
The State Department criticized the “generous military support” that Houthis receive from the Iranian government to conduct attacks on the civilian population and infrastructure in Yemen, saying it exacerbates the humanitarian crisis.
Yemen has been roiled by a devastating power struggle since late 2014, when the Houthi rebels seized the capital Sana’a and other areas in the country.
Months later, when the rebels advanced towards the temporary capital, Aden, Saudi Arabia formed a military coalition backing the Yemeni government and its forces in March 2015 against the Iran-linked Houthis.
The conflict has pushed Yemen to the verge of famine and devastated its health facilities. The coronavirus pandemic also aggravated the economic crisis in the country.
GNA