Canada adds Ansarallah, known as Houthis, to list of terrorist groups

Canada’s federal government has listed the militant group Ansarallah, commonly known as the Houthis, as a terrorist entity under the Criminal Code.

In a statement released on Monday, public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc said the move advances efforts to fight global terrorism.

“Acts of violent extremism and terrorism have no place in the world,” LeBlanc noted. “We will continue to take action to curtail the spread of these activities internationally and to counter threats to Canada, its citizens and its interests around the world.”

Ansarallah is an Islamist militant and political group that has been a key player in Yemen’s civil war. Canadian officials say the group has “waged an insurgency” in the region since the early 2000s and is looking to unseat the current government.

“Since November 2023, Ansarallah has contributed to unrest in the Middle East through numerous attacks targeting civilian and naval vessels on the Red Sea and other waterways, as well as those against Israel,” LeBlanc’s office wrote in a statement. “Ansarallah is also closely linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force and Hezbollah, two listed terrorist entities in Canada.”

Canadian officials say it is important to note the difference between the armed political movement known as “the Houthis” and the ethnic group in Yemen by the same name.

The United States also listed Ansarallah as a terrorist group in January this year.