Protesters celebrate as Saleh leaves for Saudi
Source: Agencies |
June 6, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PROTESTERS danced, sang and slaughtered cows in the central square of Yemen's capital yesterday to celebrate the departure of the country's President Ali Abdullah Saleh for medical treatment in Saudi Arabia after he was wounded in a rocket attack on his compound.
Saleh, who was taken to a military hospital in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, underwent successful surgery on his chest to remove jagged pieces of wood that splintered from a mosque pulpit when his compound was hit by rockets on Friday, officials said.
Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was acting as temporary head of state, said the deputy information minister, Abdu al-Janadi. The minister said the president would return to assume his duties after his treatment. "Saleh will come back. Saleh is in good health, and he may give up the authority one day but it has to be in a constitutional way," al-Janadi said. "Calm has returned. Coups have failed. ... We are not in Libya, and Saleh is not calling for civil war."
But in the streets of the capital, Sanaa, joyful crowds were celebrating what they hoped would be his permanent exit after nearly 33 years in power. Saleh's absence raised the specter of an even more violent power struggle between the armed tribesmen who have turned against him and loyalist military forces.
Street battles between the sides have already pushed the more than three-month political crisis to the brink of civil war over this deeply impoverished and unstable corner of the Arabian Peninsula.
Protesters thronged Sanaa's Change Square, the epicenter of the nationwide protest movement since mid-February, calling for Saleh to step down immediately. Many in the jubilant crowd waved Yemeni flags, joyfully whistling and flashing "V'' for victory signs. "Who would have believed that this people could have removed the tyrant?" said 30-year-old teacher Moufid al-Mutairi. Women in black veils joined demonstrators carrying banners that hailed Saleh's departure.
But there were also fears that the president would attempt a comeback or that his son Ahmed, who heads the Republican Guard, would take power or try to ruin the country.
Saleh, who was taken to a military hospital in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, underwent successful surgery on his chest to remove jagged pieces of wood that splintered from a mosque pulpit when his compound was hit by rockets on Friday, officials said.
Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi was acting as temporary head of state, said the deputy information minister, Abdu al-Janadi. The minister said the president would return to assume his duties after his treatment. "Saleh will come back. Saleh is in good health, and he may give up the authority one day but it has to be in a constitutional way," al-Janadi said. "Calm has returned. Coups have failed. ... We are not in Libya, and Saleh is not calling for civil war."
But in the streets of the capital, Sanaa, joyful crowds were celebrating what they hoped would be his permanent exit after nearly 33 years in power. Saleh's absence raised the specter of an even more violent power struggle between the armed tribesmen who have turned against him and loyalist military forces.
Street battles between the sides have already pushed the more than three-month political crisis to the brink of civil war over this deeply impoverished and unstable corner of the Arabian Peninsula.
Protesters thronged Sanaa's Change Square, the epicenter of the nationwide protest movement since mid-February, calling for Saleh to step down immediately. Many in the jubilant crowd waved Yemeni flags, joyfully whistling and flashing "V'' for victory signs. "Who would have believed that this people could have removed the tyrant?" said 30-year-old teacher Moufid al-Mutairi. Women in black veils joined demonstrators carrying banners that hailed Saleh's departure.
But there were also fears that the president would attempt a comeback or that his son Ahmed, who heads the Republican Guard, would take power or try to ruin the country.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
