The comments came during a visit to the southern port city of Aden, where at least 16 prisoners, including Al-Qaeda members, tunneled out on Monday in a setback to efforts to rein in militants. A local source said eight among them belonged to Al-Qaeda, including some who had been convicted of bombing and murderous attacks on Yemeni security officials.
A new government set up last week after President Ali Abdullah Saleh handed over power to his deputy Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi under the Gulf peace plan faces multiple challenges.
These include a wrecked economy, a resurgent separatist sentiment in the south and a rebellion by northern tribesmen in the Saada province.
UN envoy Jamal Benomar, in Yemen to oversee implementation of the Gulf accord he orchestrated last month between Saleh and opposition leaders, on Sunday night met with southern leaders demanding secession from the country formed by the merger of South Yemen with the Saleh-ruled north in 1990.
Benomar said more work was needed for the peace accord to succeed. "It's essential that the political process include constituencies who were not directly involved in the negotiations that led to the agreement," he said.
"These include the Houthis, the southern movement and the youth. Serious effort will have to be made to address their grievances," he added.
