US Special Envoy to Yemen Timothy Lenderking has said the United States recognises the Houthi movement as a legitimate party in Yemen. The Houthi group responded that the recognition meant nothing serious to them and the Yemeni government commented that Lenderking's comments were understood out of context.
"I’ve spoken on a number of occasions about the legitimacy of the Houthis [...] the US recognises them as a legitimate actor [...] Let’s deal with the realities that exist on the ground."
The comments came at a seminar of the National Council on Arab-American Relations on Thursday (24 June). Lenderking urged the Houthis to support the UN-led process and called on the international community to pressure the Houthis to stop their offensive and engage in a comprehensive ceasefire. Lenderking stressed the responsibility for the violence is not solely based on the Houthis but the Saudi-led coalition also played a part.
The Houthi's political bureau member, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, said that his group are not seeking US satisfaction nor its recognition.
The Yemeni government spokesman, Rajeh Badi, said that the Yemeni government sees no change in the US attitude towards Yemen.
Due to the confusion, the US State Department tweeted this morning that the United States, like the rest of the international community, recognises the government of Yemen, which is the only internationally recognised legitimate government in Yemen.
All eyes are looking positively towards Oman's recent efforts to broker a ceasefire. Last week, the outgoing UN envoy, Martin Griffiths, said that there were different visions and that Yemeni parties are unable to overcome their differences.