US, Yemeni agreement to prevent trafficking of antiquities

Washington is cracking down on the illegal trafficking of stolen and looted artefacts from Yemen, which has been ravaged by nearly nine years of civil war.

Assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs Lee Satterfield signed a preliminary agreement with Mohammed Al Hadhrami, Yemen’s ambassador to the US.

The agreement established a cultural property pact that will allow Washington to enforce import restrictions on archaeological and cultural artefacts from Yemen.

Mr Al Hadhrami blamed the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who seized control of the capital Sanaa in 2014, sparking nearly a decade of violence and humanitarian strife, for creating an environment that has allowed rare and precious antiquities to be smuggled out of the country.

“The Houthis made it easier for violent extremists and terrorist organisations to collude and illegally traffic our precious Yemeni antiquities for their own financial benefit,” he said.