US Special Envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, said on Thursday that the United States recognises the Ansarullah movement as a “legitimate party” in Yemen.
This came during a debate organised by the National Council for American-Arab Relations.
Lenderking added that “the Ansarullah group has made gains in Yemen.”
He affirmed that Ansarullah group “is not solely responsible for the violence in Yemen, and that the Saudi-led coalition bears part of it,” according to the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel.
However, the US Envoy also called on the international community to pressure Ansarullah to stop the offensive operations in Ma’rib.
Lenderking called on the international community to increase funding for humanitarian aid to Yemen, warning that humanitarian programs in Yemen will stop unless contributions are increased in the next few months.
It is worth noting that the administration of President Joe Biden ij February canceled the decision of former President Donald Trump to designate Ansarullah as a “terrorist movement”.
The statements by Lenderking are historical, since it marks the first time since the beginning of the Saudi-led invasion that a United States government official admits that Ansarullah is a legitimate partner for negotiation, marking a de facto admission of the failure of US and Saudi plans to force Yemen into submission through military means.