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A powerful suicide blast in the Yemeni capital Sana’a on Thursday killed at least 47 people, plunging the violence-plagued nation into additional turmoil after weeks of political gridlock. Over dozens were wounded in the bombing at Al-Tahrir square, targeting a gathering of Shi’ite insurgent supporters. In a separate suicide attack in the country’s southeast, 20 Yemeni soldiers were killed by a car bomb allegedly carried out by the al-Qaeda.
The bombings come a day after the new Yemeni Prime Minister designate Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak had refused the post after fierce rebel opposition.
According to the Yemeni health ministry, 47 people were killed and 75 people were injured in the suicide blast in Sana’a. Witnesses at the scene said that the bomber detonated the explosive belt at a checkpoint near the entrance of the gathering. Several steel balls were also seen scattered all over the blast site. Medics at Police Hospital issued a plea for more doctors to help deal with the overwhelming number of casualties.
Supporters of the Huthi rebels gathered after the suicide attack and demanded the fall of Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi.Hadi had condemned the “coward terrorist bombing” amid a meeting with foreign ambassadors, Saba state news reported.
“The recent increase in hostilities against innocent civilians only undermines the progress Yemen has made since the 2011 revolution”, USAmbassadorMatthew Tueller said.
The Huthis, also known as the Ansarullah, swept into Sana’a on September 21st after battling the government’s allies, with over 270 killed in the attack. A U.N.-mediated deal, which had called for the withdrawal of Huthis from Sana’a and the naming of a neutral Prime Minister, was struck the same day. The Huthis have stayed in Sana’a and refused to support the choice of Mubarak as Prime Minister, demanding a larger role in decision making, economic reform and political reform.
