YEMEN’S Houthi movement, also known as Ansarullah, is one of the primary political players in that country, also boasting a powerful armed wing. Principally representing the country’s northern Zaidi Shia tribes, it has been in the thick of Yemen’s civil war, as well as the confrontation with the Saudi-led coalition that began in 2015. Widely seen as an Iranian ally in the Arabian Peninsula, the movement captured the capital Sana’a in 2014 and soon thereafter sent Yemen’s government packing, causing the Saudis to intervene. While the Houthis have been front and centre in the numerous conflicts facing Yemen, it is difficult to agree with the Trump administration’s recent move to declare the movement a foreign terrorist organisation. This is exactly what the White House intends to do next week, on Donald Trump’s last day in office. It is unclear what the logic behind the move is, other than to present a parting gift to the House of Saud.