TWO suicide bombers believed to be linked to Yemen’s al-Qaida affiliate struck in capital Sanaa and a military outpost in the south yesterday, killing nearly 70 people.

The health ministry said that at least 47 people had died and 75 were wounded when a suicide attacker set off his explosives in central Sanaa.

The second bombing took place on the outskirts of the southern port city of Mukalla in Hadarmout province when a suicide car bomber drove his car at a security outpost, killing at least 20 soldiers and wounding 15.

The bombings underscored the highly volatile situation following last month’s takeover of Sanaa by Shiite Houthi rebels.

The first attacker targeted a gathering of Houthis and their supporters, mingling among the protesters as they were getting ready for a rally in the city’s landmark Tahrir Street before he detonated his explosives.

Hadarmout is one of several strongholds of al-Qaida’s Yemeni branch.

The Houthis had called the Sanaa rally to protest against President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s choice of Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak as prime minister.

As the crisis escalated early yesterday, the prime minister-designate asked President Hadi to relieve him of the post.

Despite Mr bin Mubarak declining the premiership, the rally went on later, with 4,000 Houthis calling on the president to step down and chanting slogans against the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Rebel leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi had accused Mr Hadi of making the nomination after meeting the US ambassador to Yemen.

“Blatant foreign interference is a form of circumventing the popular revolution,” he said.

foreigneditor@peoples-press.com