Yemeni governor survives assassination attempt in Aden

ADEN, Yemen (AA) – The governor of Yemen’s southern province of Aden, Ahmed Lamlas, survived an assassination attempt on Sunday, according to a Yemeni security official.

A car-bomb exploded as the governor’s convoy was passing by in At-Tawahi city in Aden, the official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

Three security guards and a civilian were killed in the blast. Four other guards were injured.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack and Yemeni authorities have yet to issue an official statement.

The former governor of Aden, Jaafar Saad, was killed in a similar attack in 2015.

Aden, the temporary capital of Yemen, experiences regular attacks that target government officials and public figures.

Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability since 2014, when Houthi rebels captured much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

A Saudi-led coalition aimed at reinstating the Yemeni government has worsened the situation, causing one of the world’s worst man-made humanitarian crises with 233,000 people killed, nearly 80% or about 30 million needing humanitarian assistance and protection, and more than 13 million in danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.

* Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara