Suicide bomb in central Yemen kills 'dozens' of Houthis

A suicide bomb attack on a gathering of Houthi rebel fighters in central Yemen on Wednesday killed dozens of people, military and tribal sources said.

The blast targeted the residence of a local tribal chief in the central town of Rada that was being used as a camp by the Shiite militia, who have overrun the Yemeni capital and other parts of the country, a military source said.

The explosion was the heaviest to hit Rada since the Houthis took over parts of it last month, the official said.

Residents said the bombing had been felt across the town, which is home to a mix of Sunnis and Shiites.

The military official and tribal sources said "dozens" had been killed in the dawn attack. It was not immediately clear how the bombing was carried out and nobody has so far claimed it.

Yemen has been dogged by instability since an Arab Spring-inspired uprising forced former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh from power in February 2012, although a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) brokered deal allowed him to remain in the country.

Saleh has re-emerged as a key political player in Yemen too, with reports suggesting he has backed the Houthi takeover and rallies in the capital Sana’a have shown significant support for the former leader, who was hit by UN sanctions earlier this week.

In the midst of a power vacuum since the revolution, militiamen and al-Qaeda militants have filled the void, and as the Houthis have moved south to expand their control, they have faced fierce resistance from the militants as well as Sunni tribes.

A controversial US drone program has sought to wipe out al-Qaeda in south Yemen, although high levels of civilians casualties and ambiguous definitions around what constitutes a militant has made it difficult to assess how effective the strikes have been.

In the latest drone strike, six people, suspected of being Al-Qaeda militants, were killed on Wednesday while travelling in a care through the southern Yemeni province of Shabwah, a local official, on condition of anonymity, told Anadolu Agency.

The bodies were badly charred in the car explosion, the official added.

Rights groups have documented that 97 al-Qaeda militants and 33 civilians were killed in a total of 35 US drone attacks in 2013 alone.

Amid escalating violence, the US military has updated plans to evacuate embassy staff from Yemen.

CNN reported on Tuesday that an evacuation would only come if the ambassador requested help, which “has not yet happened".

“We are poised to act if it becomes necessary to get people out,” a defence official told CNN. “If you ask me do I think it’s more likely now, the answer is yes.”

The increased concern in Washington came after a number of threats were made against US Ambassador to Yemen Matthew Tueller. Al-Qaeda released a statement last week saying they had planted two bombs at Yemen President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi’s residence, where the American ambassador was due for a meeting. The explosives were found before being detonated.