NRC Chief Egeland Urges Biden To Lift Terrorist Designation Off Yemen's Ansar Allah Rebels

Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council charity (NRC) Jan Egeland on Monday urged US President Joe Biden to lift terrorist designation off the Ansar Allah rebels in Yemen, as it made the humanitarian aid in the conflict-torn country more difficult

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2021) Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council charity (NRC) Jan Egeland on Monday urged US President Joe Biden to lift terrorist designation off the Ansar Allah rebels in Yemen, as it made the humanitarian aid in the conflict-torn country more difficult.

The designation was introduced by the previous US administration on January 10. The State Department acknowledged the negative impact this could have on the humanitarian effort and pledged to erduce it by providing exemptions.

"President @JoeBiden, aid agencies working in Yemen have spoken with united voice. We have one clear message: revoke the terrorist designation before it pushes the largest humanitarian disaster in the world into all-out famine," Egeland tweeted.

The NRC chief added a link to the charity's Sunday's statement, which expanded on the obstacles that this designation posed to the humanitarian effort. According to the NRC, despite the State Department's exemptions, " the designation will have serious implications, causing delays and uncertainty in our ability to deliver assistance, making it even more difficult to operate in Yemen, particularly in areas controlled by the Ansar Allah de facto authorities which are home to the majority of people in need."