US Envoy Discusses International Mediation Efforts for Yemen at YIF 2022

2022-06-18

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — The United States would welcome the day when Yemenis can sit together to address the root causes of Yemen’s conflict, US Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking told delegates Saturday at the Yemen International Forum 2022, where more than 200 Yemeni, regional and international actors were seeking new approaches to remove some of the obstacles to a peaceful settlement.

Lenderking, during a discussion of regional and US efforts in Yemen on the second day of the forum, said the UN-mediated truce that has largely held since April was fragile, but could be built upon.

“We very much agree that the truce doesn’t address root causes,” Lenderking said. “We would love to accelerate the day when Yemenis can get together to talk about the root causes. And that’s something that the United States would very much welcome seeing because I don’t think you end this conflict without dealing with reconciliation, justice and accountability, and an agreed-upon vision for what Yemen looks like in the future.”

The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies in cooperation with the Folke Bernadotte Academy launched the Yemen International Forum 2022 in Stockholm on Friday. Since then, Yemeni-led in-depth conversations, bringing together a variety of political, economic and civil society actors, have taken on issues including economic challenges, the security sector and the future integration of fighters, the Southern question and how best to advance peacemaking efforts. The three-day forum, also attended by international diplomats and mediators, concludes Sunday. 

The Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies is an independent think tank that seeks to foster change through knowledge production with a focus on Yemen and the surrounding region. The Center’s publications and programs, offered in Arabic and English, cover political, social, economic and security developments, aiming to impact policy locally, regionally and internationally.

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