MARTA MAKOWSKA
Over four months after the riots in Yemen have started the president Ali Abdullah Saleh left on Saturday to Saudi Arabia to receive medical treatment. Injured during Friday’s attack at his presidential palace, he travelled to Riyadh accompanied by 35 members of his family and several people from his political milieu. The level of his injury is still unknown, however it has been reported, that he had already undergone two surgical operations with success. It is estimated that he will return home after two-week period of convalescence – says anonymous official from Saudi Arabia.
Will he actually return to Sanaa? Or more likely will he go in political exile as the Tunisian president did several months ago? This question remains present as Ali Abdullah Saleh has not stopped to astonish World’s public opinion. He has been misleading his opponents and allies for many weeks by restraining from signing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative which would give him the right to peacefully transfer the power. He has been “playing his cards” both with Tribal leaders and international politicians hoping to maintain the awkward status quo in Yemen. His cooperation with United States in fighting al-Quaeda has prevented, in opinion of many observers, from more unequivocal intervention of Washington and European countries into internal affairs of Yemenis. Also, the cooperation with Saudi Arabia has been bringing over 2 billion USD per year of financial aid to support the reign of the dictator.
Nonetheless, the riots in Sanaa and other crucial cities of Yemen have become so intense that the risk of civil war has hung by a thread lately. Saleh trying to intimidate the people by insinuating brutal and bloody aftermath of protests has failed to be convincing. Opposition has taken its chance to manifest power and evidently, Saleh understood the message.
After his departure to Riyadh, vice-president of Yemen, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, has come into the power. According to Yemeni constitution, he may rule the country for 60 days before the official election has to be held. Unless Saleh comes back within this time, we may expect a fresh breeze in Arabian Peninsula.
