US Considers Hadi Legitimate President of Yemen

US Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki announced during a press briefing on Wednesday that President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi remained the legitimate leader of Yemen and the US kept in touch with him.

WASHINGTON, January 21 (Sputnik) — The United States considers President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi the leader of Yemen, despite the rebel Houthi fighters' siege of his home, and has remained in touch with him, US Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

“This is a scenario where President Hadi remains the legitimate leader of Yemen, we remain in touch with him,” Psaki said.

Psaki added that the United States is focused on working with the government of Yemen towards ceasefire talks.

The majority of President Hadi’s guards have been forced to leave the president’s residence after two days of fighting, Sputnik reported earlier.

President Hadi’s whereabouts remains unknown, while media reports say the president is believed to have been meeting advisors, including Houthi minority representatives, at his home shortly before the siege.

Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthi opposition in Yemen, warned Hadi during a televised address on Tuesday that militants would take measures unless the president initiates constitutional changes.

Last year, the group staged major protests and occupied a number of Yemeni cities, demanding the government to resign. Last September, the Houthi insurgency spread to the capital.

The Houthi are a major opposition force in Yemen that has played a role in removing former Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh from office in 2012. In September 2014, the insurgency spread to the central and western parts of the country.