At least 40 people have been killed in a suicide bombing at a military facility in the southern Yemen city of Aden, officials say. A training camp, or compound used by the pro-government Popular Resistance militia, was hit, reports say.
The attack comes amid a fresh push to end Yemen’s 17-month-old war between Saudi-backed government and rebels.
The UN says more than 6,600 people, mainly civilians, have been killed in the fighting.
Some 2.5 million Yemenis have also been displaced.
It is unclear who was behind Monday’s attack, though bombings in the southern port city are often carried out by militants from al-Qaeda or so-called Islamic State (IS).
Other reports to news agencies from medical sources put the death toll higher – between 45 and 60.
Agence France-Presse also reported that the attack was a suicide car bombing.
Meanwhile, the government and rebels have responded positively to a new Gulf-backed initiative to end the conflict.
The plan, announced last week by the US, calls for the withdrawal of Shia Houthi rebels from the capital, Sanaa, and talks on forming a unity government.
The rebels said they were prepared to restart negotiations, provided the Saudi-led coalition stopped attacking and laying siege to territories held by them.
The latest round of peace talks in Kuwait collapsed earlier this month.
The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes in Yemen since March 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.
The campaign began after the Houthi rebels, backed by supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, took over parts of the country, including Sanaa, forcing the government into exile.
The government and its allies have since retaken Aden. Saudi Arabia says the Houthis are supported financially and militarily by its regional rival Iran – something Tehran denies.
BBC
UM– USEKE.RW
