A car bomb outside the gate of a presidential compound in a southern Yemeni city killed at least 25 people, a health official said, hours after the country’s new president was formally inaugurated and vowed to fight Al-Qaeda.

A security official said it was a suicide blast, and that it bore the hallmarks of an operation by the militant group. He did not provide a death toll. Al-Qaeda and southern separatists are active in the region.

The blast came as Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was sworn in as president to replace long-time leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, following an election aimed at ending more than a year of political turmoil.

Before parliament, Mr Hadi swore to keep up Yemen’s fight against Al-Qaeda-linked militants.

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