Tim Lenderking returns to Yemen to try to bring the conflict to an early end

Tim Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen, has once again travelled to the conflict zone with the aim of bringing positions closer and trying to find a solution to a war that continues to claim hundreds of thousands of civilian lives. Meanwhile, Houthi militias continue to advance with an offensive to try to take control of the last internationally recognised government foothold in the north of the country. 

Lenderking was appointed during Joe Biden's first days in office as a sign of the new posture the US president intends to adopt. The United States is now extremely concerned about what is already the largest humanitarian catastrophe since the creation of the United Nations. Proof of this is this new trip by the special envoy, who will visit several Gulf nations on a journey that will keep him there until at least 3 March, according to the communiqué issued by the State Department. The statement said that "they will focus on the United States' dual-track approach to ending the conflict in Yemen: a lasting political solution and humanitarian assistance for the Yemeni people". 

Thus, the country led by Joe Biden is showing greater concern, not only for the armed conflict, but also for the human lives that are suffering its consequences. These actions are a far cry from what we were used to during Donald Trump's four years in office, in which humanitarian aid was never one of his priorities. The State Department added that Lenderking will also meet with senior government officials in the region and with the UN special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths. 

Tim Lenderking's visit comes just two weeks after he was in neighbouring Yemen for talks with Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom is trying to strengthen relations with the White House after the departure of its great ally Trump and reverse the cooling of relations that, until his departure, were very close. However, the Biden administration maintains that, with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, it has no intention of sitting down to negotiate. On his return to Washington, Lenderking explained the reason for this succession of US actions in the Gulf area, which are designed "to energise international diplomatic efforts with our Gulf partners, the United Nations and others to create the right conditions for a ceasefire and push the parties toward a negotiated settlement to end the war in Yemen". 

Since Joe Biden's decision to remove the Houthi militia's "label" as a terrorist organisation, numerous detractors have been voicing the futility of this decision. Weeks later, it can be seen that what the White House thought might bring the Houthis closer to the longed-for peace has had the opposite effect. Attacks by the Houthis have not ceased - especially the ongoing operations against Saudi Arabia - and their goal of taking control of Marib, the last bastion of the internationally recognised al-Hadi government, is ever closer to materialising. 

Already political analyst Hamdan al-Shehri expressed his conviction about a future White House decision: "It would be very strange if the Biden Administration keeps the Houthis off the terrorist list because over the last three weeks, we have seen many attacks from the Houthi side into Saudi Arabia and also inside Yemen". However, this return to the terrorist organisation designation has not yet taken place and it seems that the Democratic president's strategy will be more linked to dialogue, as he is demonstrating with these overtures through his special envoy for Yemen, Tim Lenderking.