Saleh’s three-decade rule of Yemen in danger as he flees to Saudi for treatment

YEMEN President Ali Abdullah Saleh, wounded in an attack on his presidential palace, yesterday flew to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment, potentially offering a face-saving end to his three-decade rule.

But uncertainty about whether his sons and nephews would try to maintain a grip on power following months of protests meant the risk of further turmoil remained.

Acting president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was slated to meet members of the military and Saleh’s sons yesterday, according to Al Arabiya television. It was the first indication Saleh’s powerful sons had not left the country.

Saudi sources said Riyadh had brokered a ceasefire between rival clans and political elites. But yesterday, heavy gunfire and explosions rang out in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. Witnesses said the gunfire was heard in the Hasaba district, a focal point of fighting between Saleh’s forces and members of the powerful Hashed tribe led by Sadeq al-Ahmar.

The Saudi royal court said Saleh had arrived to be treated for wounds suffered in Friday’s rocket attack on his presidential palace — an assault that killed seven people and marked a major escalation in a conflict building toward full civil war.

Rumours of Saleh’s departure had circulated in Sanaa for hours before his arrival in Riyadh was confirmed, and Yemeni officials repeatedly denied he had any plans to leave.

Saleh walked off the aircraft but had visible injuries on his neck, head and face. He was transferred to a military hospital after landing at King Khalid Air Base and will have tests before surgery to remove shrapnel from his body and is expected to have plastic surgery to mend wounds on his face and neck.

Saudi Arabia has been to the fore in efforts by Gulf states to negotiate Saleh’s resignation and peaceful handover of power to fractious opposition groups. He has several times backed away from agreements at the last moment.

The world’s top oil exporter shares a 1,500km border with Yemen, and until recently with the US had backed Saleh as an ally against a Yemen-based arm of al-Qaida.

US President Barack Obama’s top counter-terrorism aide spoke on Saturday with the Yemeni vice-president. Washington has been calling for Saleh to leave.

Leaving Yemen at a time of such instability, even for medical care, could make it hard for Saleh to retain power. Saleh’s vice-president, largely a figurehead, took over as acting president and head of the armed forces in Yemen.

The true seat of power, following Saleh’s departure, has yet to be decided. But his eldest son, Ahmed, commands the elite Republican Guard and three of his nephews control the country’s security and intelligence units.

Worries are mounting that Yemen, already on the brink of financial ruin and home to al-Qaida militants, could become a failed state that poses a threat to the world’s top oil exporting region and to global security.