As many as five suicide bombings have rocked Yemen’s southeastern city of Mukalla, leaving at least 35 people dead. The attacks targeted a government intelligence building and security checkpoints in the city.
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Islamic State’s Yemen branch carried out a suicide bombing in the southern port city of Aden on 23 May which killed 40 army recruits, the latest in a string of attacks claimed by the group. The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Mukalla was under the control of al-Qaida fighters until April when pro-government forces recaptured it.
The Pentagon revealed last month that a “very small number” of USA military personnel had also been deployed around Mukalla in support of the operation, led by special Saudi and Emirati forces. Officials said the death toll is expected to rise.
Two negotiators representing the rebels and their allies, and one from the internationally recognised government, told Asocciated Press on Monday that the two sides were drafting a joint statement to announce that they will return to talks in mid-July, after Eid Al Fitr.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with the government and Houthi delegations on Sunday and urged them to “prevent further deterioration of the situation”. He also called for the release of prisoners, including journalists and other political detainees, as a goodwill gesture ahead of Eid. The peace roadmap, proposed by the United Nations special envoy, calls for the formation of a unity government and the withdrawal and disarmament of the rebels. The Houthis want to form a unity government prior to any changes on the ground, according to the negotiators.
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The negotiations were meant to ease the violence and create the right atmosphere to hold a broader political dialogue between the two rivals – the government, led by Sunni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, and the Shiite Houthis. The conflict has killed an estimated 9,000 people since it escalated in March past year and has pushed the Arab world’s poorest country to the brink of starvation.
