The U.S. Department of the Treasury today sanctioned the former President of Yemen, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and two military commanders affiliated with the Huthi group, Abdullah Yahya al-Hakim and Abd al-Khaliq al-Huthi, pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13611 for engaging in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen. Per the November 23, 2011 agreement, backed by the GCC, Ali Abdullah Saleh stepped down as President of Yemen after more than 30 years.
As of fall 2012, Saleh had reportedly become one of the primary supporters of violence perpetrated by individuals affiliated with the Huthi group. More recently, as of September 2014, Saleh reportedly has been destabilizing Yemen by using others to undermine the central government and create enough instability to threaten a coup. According to a September 2014 report by the United Nations Panel of Experts for Yemen, interlocutors alleged that Saleh supports violent actions of some Yemenis by providing them with funds and political support, as well as ensuring that others continue to contribute to the destabilization of Yemen through various means. Clashes in the south of Yemen in February 2013 were a result of the efforts of Saleh, Al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula, and key southern secessionist ‘Ali Salim al-Bayd to cause trouble before the March 18, 2013 National Dialogue Conference in Yemen.
On November 9, 2012, OFAC issued the Yemen Sanctions Regulations, 31 CFR part 552 (the “Regulations”) (77 FR 67276, November 9, 2012), to implement Executive Order 13611 of May 16, 2012, “Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the Peace, Security, or Stability of Yemen” (77 FR 29533, May 18, 2012) (E.O. 13611). The Regulations were initially issued in abbreviated form for the purpose of providing immediate guidance to the public. OFAC is amending and reissuing the Regulations as a more comprehensive set of regulations that includes additional interpretive and definitional guidance, general licenses, statements of licensing policy, and other regulatory provisions that will provide further guidance to the public. Due to the number of regulatory sections being updated or added, OFAC is reissuing the Regulations in their entirety.
Executive Order 13611. On May 16, 2012, the President, invoking the authority of, inter alia, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701–1706) (IEEPA), issued E.O. 13611. In E.O. 13611, the President found that the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Yemen and others threaten Yemen's peace, security, and stability, including by obstructing the implementation of the agreement of November 23, 2011, between the Government of Yemen and those in opposition to it, which provides for a peaceful transition of power that meets the legitimate demands and aspirations of the Yemeni people for change, and by obstructing the political process in Yemen. The President further found that these actions constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States and declared a national emergency to deal with that threat.
