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Yemen: Car bomb kills southern separatist fighters in Aden

Southern Transitional Council forces said Brigadier General Mohsen al-Wali had survived an attack on a convoy
Video footage shared by STC activists on social media showed a white four-wheel-drive vehicle with extensive damage (Twitter)

A car bomb killed and injured a number of fighters travelling in a convoy of vehicles belonging to Yemen's main southern separatist forces in the city of Aden on Thursday, the militia said.

The Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces tweeted that the casualties were part of a convoy that included Brigadier General Mohsen al-Wali, but gave no figures.

In a separate post, they said Wali and another general had survived "an assassination operation using a rigged car".

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Video footage shared by STC activists on Facebook showed a white four-wheel drive vehicle with extensive damage.

Aden is the seat of Yemen's internationally recognised government, which in December formed a new power-sharing cabinet, including the STC, under a deal brokered by Saudi Arabia.

Riyadh is leading a military coalition fighting to oust Houthi rebels who control much of north Yemen and the capital Sanaa, and restore the internationally recognised government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

On 30 December, at least 22 people were killed and dozens wounded in an attack on Aden airport moments after a plane landed with members of the new cabinet. 

The coalition blamed the Houthi movement, which denied responsibility.

The power-sharing deal ended a standoff that had triggered clashes in Aden and complicated United Nations efforts to broker a permanent ceasefire in the overall conflict.

'This war has to end'

In December, the UN humanitarian office estimated a death toll of at least 233,000 deaths in the Yemen conflict, mostly civilians, including around 100,000 combat deaths.

The conflict is described by the UN as the worst humanitarian crisis in the world, with the majority of Yemenis dependent on aid and millions facing hunger. Cuts in international aid to Yemen threaten widespread famine this year, aid agencies have warned. 

Last month, US President Joe Biden announced the end of US support for offensive operations by the Saudi-led coalition, in a major policy reversal from the previous administration that may alter the course of the conflict.

"This war has to end. And to underscore our commitment, we're ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arms sales," Biden said in his first major foreign policy speech.

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