Yemen: Injured President Saleh heads to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment

Ali Abdullah Saleh’s departure follows rocket attack on compound and could complicate position if he tries to return Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was wounded in a rocket attack on his compound on Friday, was expected to arrive in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night for medical treatment. Reports by the BBC and al-Arabiya television that Saleh had left the Yemeni capital Sana’a for Saudi Arabia were originally denied. But an unnamed Yemeni official later said that Saleh had accepted the offer. The speculation about Saleh’s whereabouts comes amid an escalating crisis in which nearly 200 people have been killed during two weeks of battles. Any departure by Saleh would make it extremely difficult for him to return to Yemen, where he is fighting a four-month uprising against his rule. Yemen’s state TV said six officials, including the prime minister and the speakers of both houses of parliament, had gone to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment. But one Yemeni official told Reuters: “Saleh is still in Sana’a.” He added: “He had suffered minor wounds to his head and, I believe, his face.” While the deputy information minister, Abdu al-Janadi, spoke of only “scratches to his face”, there were indications that Saleh’s injuries might have been more severe. Hisham Sharaf, minister of trade and industry, said he had met Saleh on Friday night at a hospital where he was treated for minor wounds before returning to the presidential palace. He said the president had seemed defiant in the face of the violence. “His morale was very high. The strike that doesn’t break you makes you stronger. The strike made him more adamant that he won’t hand over the country until he is sure it will be safe and clear of militias,” he said. Saleh, in his late 60s, was first taken to a military hospital while officials promised that he would soon appear in public. But by late Saturday morning state television had aired only an audio message from the president, illustrated by an old photograph. “If you are well, I am well,” Saleh said in the brief address to Yemenis. On Saturday intermittent blasts and sporadic fire fights punctuated the pre-dawn hours in Sana’a. As the sun rose, the roads were clogged with civilians attempting to flee the violence. “There are bullets everywhere and the explosions terrify us. It’s impossible to stay,” said Ali Ahmed, a resident. Saleh, a political survivor who has clung to power for nearly 33 years, said in his audio address that an “outlaw gang” linked to the Hashid tribe was behind the attack on him. The Yemeni official told Reuters: “It’s not easy for the president. He has lost people close to him and who were sitting next to him when it happened.” Defying world pressure, Saleh has reneged three times on a deal brokered by Gulf states for him to quit in return for immunity from prosecution, even as he loses support at home. What began as a pro-democracy protest has turned into a power struggle between two of Yemen’s most powerful families: Saleh’s, which dominates the security forces, and the al-Ahmar clan, which leads the strongest tribal confederation, known as the Hashid. The confederation is grouped around 10 tribes across the north. The attack on the president is likely to heighten an increasingly brutal fight between Saleh’s forces and heavily armed tribesmen loyal to al-Ahmar. The al-Ahmars were once uneasy allies of Saleh, and their Hashid confederation was key to his hold on power. But Sadeq al-Ahmar and his nine brothers have grown resentful of Saleh’s policy of promoting his relatives to dominant positions, particularly in the security forces. Yemen Middle East Saudi Arabia Arab and Middle East unrest Protest Peter Beaumont guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 4, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.