Canada lists the Houthi militant group as a terrorist organization – National
Canada has added the Houthi militia to its list of terrorist organizations, the government announced Monday.
The Iran-backed group, officially known as Ansarallah, has been active in Yemen since the early 2000s and has contributed to the Middle East’s unrest by attacking dozens of commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea for more than a year.
That attack began in November 2023 to protest the Israeli army’s attack on Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, for Hamas, which is also supported by Iran.
Canada supported British and American strikes against Houthi targets earlier this year in response to the Red Sea offensive.
“Today’s addition of Ansarallah as a designated terrorist organization contributes to our efforts to fight terrorism around the world and to unite Canada and our allies,” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said in a statement.
“Violent extremism and terrorism have no place in the world and we will continue to take steps to prevent the spread of these activities internationally and to address threats to Canada, its citizens and its interests around the world.”
Under Canadian law, the designation allows criminal penalties for any person or group who knowingly deals with a listed entity. Anyone found to be a member of a listed business can be barred from entering Canada.
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The order admits the term “Houthi” can also refer to an ethnic group in Yemen, and the title only applies to Ansarallah terrorists.
The Conservatives called on the government to list the Houthis as a terrorist organization in October.
The Houthis also cooperate closely with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, both of which are listed as terrorist organizations in Canada.
The Houthis have recently targeted Israel directly with missiles while stepping up their Red Sea strikes as the Middle East conflict escalates to include Hezbollah and Iran. The group has vowed to continue its attacks until Israel withdraws its troops from Gaza.
The US listed Ansarallah as a terrorist group in January this year.
The Houthis control most of northern Yemen and have been fighting for control of the country and Yemen’s internationally recognized government since 2014. The civil war was one of the deadliest in recent history, as more than 150,000 people were killed and another 227,000 died of starvation and other causes. indirect causes, according to United Nations estimates.
-via files from The Canadian Press
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