Ali asks UN to label Yemen's Houthi militia as 'terrorist group'

Director of the Center for Middle East Studies in Paris (CEMO) and Chairman of the Board of al-Bawaba News, Abdel Rahim Ali, called Wednesday on the United Nations Security Council and the international community to ban and classify the Houthi militia as a 'terrorist group'

The Security Council and the international community, he said, also have to impose sanctions on the militia and its supporters.

"They need to act to dry up the funding sources of the militia to deprive it of arms," Ali said.

"The world has risen up in the past few hours against the militia," Ali said in a statement.

He added that the militia faces an unprecedented wave of criticism and condemnation.

"This is about time this condemnation translated into decisions on the ground," Ali said.

He added that the Security Council has to take a courageous decision to classify the militia as a terrorist group and dry up its financing sources.

The CEMO director said the Houthis had committed a large number of horrendous crimes against innocent people in Yemen.

"They also committed heinous acts against Yemen's neighboring countries," Ali said.

"This is about time the militia is held accountable and punished," he added.

He also called on the Arab League to put pressure on the international community to brand the Houthi militia as a terrorist group.

The militia, he said, has become a threat to international peace and security.

"There is strong rejection by the international community of Houthi terrorism," Ali said.

He added that the militia threatens international trade and the international maritime movement, which in turn poses threats to the international economy.

"This militia must be brought down," the CEMO director said.