Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh made a surprise return to Yemen yesterday after more than three months of medical treatment in Saudi Arabia in a move certain to further enflame battles between forces loyal to him and his opponents that have turned the capital into a war zone.
Saleh immediately called for a ceasefire and said negotiations were the only way out of the crisis, his office said. The statement, however, suggested he does not intend to step down immediately and was likely to only anger protesters who have been demanding his ouster for months and the military units and armed tribal fighters that back the opposition.
“His return means more divisions, more escalation and confrontations,” said Abdel-Hadi al-Azazi, a protest leader. “We are on a very critical escalation.”
Photo: EPA
Saleh’s return to Yemen could further damage already crumbling efforts by the US and Saudi Arabia to work out a peaceful handover of power. Washington is eager for some sort of post-Saleh stability in the strategically placed, but deeply divided and impoverished nation in hopes of continuing an alliance against al-Qaeda militants in Yemen.
Both the US and Saudi Arabia were believed to be trying to keep Saleh from leaving Saudi Arabia.
Saleh went to the kingdom for treatment after he was severely burned and wounded by a June 3 explosion at his presidential compound in the capital Sana’a. His departure fueled hopes that he would be forced to step down, but instead he staunchly refused to resign, frustrating protesters who have been taking to the streets nearly daily since February demanding an end to his 33-year rule.
As time passed and Saleh recuperated, he was widely expected to stay in the kingdom — and his return yesterday was a surprise.
The crackle of gunfire continued over Sana’a even after Saleh’s office issued the ceasefire call.
This week, the long deadlock that endured even during Saleh’s absence broke down into the worst violence in months, as forces loyal to the president’s son attacked protesters and battled troops led by one of the regime’s top rivals, Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a former Saleh aide who joined the opposition early in the uprising.
About 100 people have been killed in the past week — mostly protesters, as regime troops hit their gatherings with shelling or barrages of sniper fire from rooftops.
The fighting continued even after Saleh returned at dawn yesterday. Heavy clashes and thuds of mortars were heard throughout the night in Sana’a. One person was killed overnight, a medical official said on condition of anonymity.
By noon, thousands of Saleh supporters and opponents poured into the streets for parallel rallies in different parts of Sana’a. The rallies revolved around Friday prayers and also included funeral ceremonies for those from each side killed in the clashes.
Reflecting Yemen’s widening rift, each side blamed the other for igniting the latest violence.
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