Aden (South24) 

In the first visit of a US delegation since the outbreak of the war in Yemen in 2015, the US Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking and the Chargé d'Affairs Cathy Westley concluded a short visit to the capital, Aden, South Yemen, yesterday.

During the visit, the State Department stated that Lenderking and Westley met "Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed bin Mubarak, Governor of Aden Ahmed Lamlas, other senior government officials, and civil society representatives."

In a statement, the US State Department called on the Yemeni government to strengthen internal coordination with the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

It is not yet known whether the American delegation met with the STC, which controls Aden, or its representatives during the visit. The US envoy had previously met with a delegation from the STC in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, months ago, according to "South24" sources, but the meeting was not announced at the time.

The US delegation had met with the Governor of Aden Ahmed Hamed Lamlas, who is also the STC Secretary-General.

The State Department said that the visit comes "at a time when Yemenis are suffering from extreme economic instability as well as security threats."

"Now is the time for all Yemenis to come together to end this war and enact bold reforms to revive the economy, counter corruption, and alleviate suffering," said Special Envoy Lenderking, according to the statement issued by State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Monday evening.

Economic reforms

For her part, Cathy Westley emphasized that the United States "welcomes the commitment of the Prime Minister and endorses the government’s presence in Yemen but the government must do more to enact reforms that will help ease the suffering caused by the war."

The statement said, that the "US delegation urged the Yemeni Government to continue to strengthen internal coordination, including with the Southern Transitional Council and other groups, as division weakens all parties and only exacerbates suffering."

The talks touched upon, according to the US State Department, that "Houthis’ offensive on Marib is exacerbating the humanitarian situation and obstructing peace."

" The US Government calls on regional and other countries to increase economic support for Yemen, noting that improving basic services and economic opportunity is an important step to building a stronger foundation for peace," the State Department said.

Indications

The State Department statement said that this visit "demonstrates that the United States remains committed to helping Yemenis shape a brighter future for their country."

The visit of the US delegation to the capital Aden which is run by the STC coincided with a second visit of the UN Special Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg to the cities of Aden in South and Taiz in North.

Despite bloody attacks targeting the entrance to Aden International Airport on October 30 and the convoy of the Governor of Aden on the 10th of the same month, which killed dozens, international delegations continued to come to the city, which has witnessed a noticeable security improvement since the pro-STC Southern forces took control of the city in August 2019. 

South24 Center for News and Studies

Photo: Governor of Aden next to Lenderking and Cathy Westley during their visit to Aden, Monday (official)