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UN envoy to Yemen has said that the country is taking important steps to advance towards democracy, but is being hindered by Al Qaeda attacks. Jamal Benomar told the U.N. Security Council that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula continued to pose a major threat in the region. "However, President Hadi's efforts to combat the advance of Al-Qaeda in the south and elsewhere are beginning to bear fruit," Fox News quoted Benomar as saying. Benomar said that a blast on a military parade that killed almost 96 soldiers in the capital last week was a reminder that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula remained the most lethal group intended to attack both Western and regional targets. Benomar said abductions and assassinations had also increased in the past few weeks, while oil and gas pipelines and electricity lines continued to be frequently attacked. Benomar said that President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's 'strong leadership' was leading towards the transition despite serious security concerns, humanitarian crisis and unresolved conflicts. Hadi became the president on 25 February following an uncontested election aimed to end the political turmoil in the country. Benomar said that the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen "is unprecedented and the figures are much bleaker than previously reported". He said that almost 10 million people, almost half the population, was not getting enough to eat and almost one million children under the age of five were suffering from malnutrition. He warned that continued obstruction of Hadi's reorganization and control of the military and security forces "could derail Yemen's fragile transition process and could result in serious instability".

Yemen's transition to democracy being impeded by Qaeda attacks: UN envoy