According to media reports, at least 37 people were killed and 66 others injured by a bomb blast which took place early Wednesday morning as dozens of people stood in line to enrol in the police academy.

In a statement released by his spokesman this afternoon,  Ban “expresses his condolences to the victims’ families and wishes a swift recover to all those wounded.”

“The Secretary-General reiterates his previous calls to all Yemenis to work together and to fight terrorism and to bring security and stability to Yemen.”

The troubled nation located in the Arab Peninsula has been plagued by months of violence despite the formation of a new Government on 7 November, with the aim of ending political turbulence and bringing about a transition towards democracy.

Later in the afternoon, the Security Council condemned the “horrific” attack on Yemeni citizens “who sought to serve their country in public service”. The 15-member body expressed condolences to the families and friends of those killed and injured.

Council members also condemned the recent bomb attacks, in Ibb on 31 December and in Dhamar on 4 January.

Terrorism in all its forms constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, the reaffirmed, emphasizing that “any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable regardless of their motivation.”

Underlining the need to bring perpetrators and sponsors of terrorism to justice, members urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the Yemeni authorities in this regard.

This attack is just the latest in a spate of assaults including on children and a diplomatic official. On 16 December, 25 people were killed, including 15 school girls, when their bus was hit by a car bomb as it passed a checkpoint in the Yemeni province of Al Bayda, south of Sana’a. And on 03 December, several people were killed in a bomb attack at the residence of the Iranian Ambassador to Yemen.

In both instances,  Ban and the UN Security Council deplored the “senseless” crimes and reiterated their condemnation of violations and abuses committed against children.

As for the diplomatic residency attack, Council members recalled the fundamental principle of the “inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises,” and the obligations on host Governments to take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on diplomatic agents and consular officers.

This, they said, is an obligation under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

Back in November, the UN human rights office decried abuses in the country, saying that it had “documented serious violations committed by all sides” of the ongoing conflict including killing of civilians, the recruitment of children and the targeting of schools and hospitals.

Pedestrians on a street in Sana’a, capital of Yemen. Photo: UNDP Yemen