Islamic State claimed responsibility for an explosion which killed the governor of Yemen’s southern Aden province on Sunday.
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Local residents and an official described how the suicide bomber rammed his auto into the governor’s vehicle.
In the attack, Jaafar Mohammed Saad and several aides were killed.
The UN revealed the total number killed in Yemen since March, both in airstrikes and fighting on the ground, is more than 5,700. Aden has been functioning as the de facto capital of the government of Saudi-backed President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi.
Hours after the blast, in Aden’s Tawahi district, the Islamic State released a statement claiming responsibility, as well as photographs allegedly showing the explosion. He tried to boost security in Aden, the second biggest city in Yemen, and supervise government troops that were battling the Houthis in Taiz, a Yemeni province north of Aden.
Saad’s killing comes a day after the United Nations envoy in the country held talks with Hadi in Aden aimed at kickstarting peace talks between the warring sides.
“Foot-dragging in implementing security measures paves the way for hardliners to carry out such attacks”, said Ashraf Ali Mahmoud, a local activist.
Saad, the governor who was killed, was a retired army general who returned to Yemen from exile in Britain after the Houthis were driven out of Aden. He was made governor in October.
Aden has been declared the temporary capital of Yemen after Saudi Arabia-led coalition of militaries helped government forces seize it from Iran-backed Houthi militias in July.
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The claim by IS introduces another risky factor into the equation, our correspondent says, because like the long established al-Qaeda franchise in Yemen, IS has gained strength from the violence and chaos of the past nine months of all-out conflict. “To a lot of people in Aden, this attack does not come as much of a surprise”, Omeisy added.
