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| Anti-government protestors attend a demonstration demanding the resignation of Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 3, 2011. (Hani Mohammed / AP) |
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| Yemeni citizens fled the capital Sanaa on Saturday after an attack on the presidential palace that left President Ali Abdullah Saleh, above, slightly injured. (Hani Mohammed / AP) |
Saudi monarch intervenes in attempt to contain raging military conflict that has swept the capital
2011-06-04
msnbc.com news services
SANAA, Yemen — Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh arrived in the Saudi capital of Riyadh for treatment for wounds, the Saudi royal court said on Sunday.
“The Yemeni president has arrived along with officials and citizens who had received different injuries for treatment in Saudi Arabia,” the royal court said.
The announcement followed a flurry of conflicting reports about the Yemeni president’s whereabouts after Saudi King Abdullah announced that he had mediated a cease-fire to end deadly street battles.
Saleh was was wounded during an attack on the presidential palace Friday.
In latest developments, Saleh’s Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi had taken over as acting president and supreme commander of the armed forces, Al Jazeera reported Saturday, citing unspecified sources.
For months, Saleh has defied intense pressure from his powerful Gulf neighbors and longtime ally Washington to step down. He agreed to transfer power several times, only to step back at the last moment. Should he leave the country now, he might never return, given that large segments of the population and a powerful tribal alliance could engineer his ouster while he’s gone.
The extent of Saleh’s injuries has been a matter of intense speculation. When the rocket struck the mosque in his presidential compound and splintered the pulpit, he was surrounded by top government officials and bodyguards. Eleven guards died, and five officials standing nearby were seriously wounded and taken to Saudi Arabia.
Yemeni ruling party officials and rebel tribesmen say Abdullah mediated a one-week cease-fire between the warring forces of Saleh and the anti-government opposition. The Saudi monarch intervened in an attempt to contain a raging military conflict that has swept the capital over the past week.
Abdullah stepped in shortly after Saleh’s presidential palace compound was hit by a rebel rocket attack on Friday. Saleh was slightly injured, and 11 security guards were killed. Five other top officials were sent to Saudi Arabia for treatment.
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