Endgame in Yemen?

[skh1]

Yemen's president Ali Abdullah Saleh has flown to Saudi Arabia for medical treatment, a day after he was wounded, Saudi officials say.
Uncertainty surrounded Mr Saleh's whereabouts for much of Saturday.

Sources in Yemen told the BBC that Mr Saleh had a piece of shrapnel below his heart and second-degree burns to his chest and face.

An uprising demanding that Mr Saleh leave power has led to violence bringing Yemen close to civil war.
The Yemeni president arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh aboard a Saudi medical plane.
A Gulf nation diplomatic source told BBC Arabic that the decision to transfer Mr Saleh to Riyadh was taken after Saudi doctors consulted with a German medical team.

A source told Reuters news agency that Mr Saleh walked off the plane after arriving in Riyadh, but had visible wounds to his face, neck and head.

A second plane carried members of the president's family, AFP news agency said, quoting an unnamed Saudi official.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13658445

And —

Effective Saturday night, Yemeni Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi took over Ali Abdullah Saleh's responsibilities as president, Yemeni government spokesman Abdu Ganadi told CNN.

The power transfer comes as a source close to the Saudi government said that the long-time Yemeni ruler arrived in Riyadh around midnight Saturday, a day after being hurt in an attack on a mosque in his palace.

Some Yemeni officials continue to insist that Saleh, who for months has resisted calls to step down, is still in Yemen. Yaser Yamani, Sanaa's deputy mayor, told Yemeni state TV Saturday night that "Saleh is still being treated in the military hospital in Sanaa."

Yet the Saudi source said that Saleh was immediately taken to a nearby hospital after his plane landed in Saudi Arabia.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/...est/index.html

So after months of vacillating and attempting to suppress the opposition through increasingly brutal violence, are we finally to see the end of Ali Abdullah Saleh?
And, if so, after 30 years will it be a case of "aprés moi, le deluge"?

[Babur]

Hopefully there won't be a Civil War

[Lord Zhang Ku]

there already is i'm afraid.

[Babur]

there already is i'm afraid.

Well Al Qaeda does have a presence in Yemen, so this may not turn out well.

[Jom]

Well Al Qaeda does have a presence in Yemen, so this may not turn out well.

More than just a presence, as that implies a somewhat passive stance, whereas they are actively vying for control of the north of the country, which is in turmoil anyway, and may see huge water shortages very soon, if not already as I haven't been keeping up with the situation on a frequent basis.

[The excited one]

Well Al Qaeda does have a presence in Yemen, so this may not turn out well.

one thing for sure due to the democractic protest agains the govt the al qeada just move in the power vacum and established a strict islamic theocracy and start there jihad there and thats for sure.........
FREEDOM FOR THE EXTREMIST!!!!! WOOOOO and yeah its hard to choose sides in times like this and the game won't end for a long but civil war? i m not sure they don't have weapons made in the US and A yet........ all they need is lots of shells guns etc sth to blow things up

[alhoon]

there already is i'm afraid.

While I wouldn't call it civil war, I would certainly think it's bad.

[Lord Zhang Ku]

While I wouldn't call it civil war, I would certainly think it's bad.

There was a civil war going on before the arab spring even began. It was minor assaults in the north and south from two different groups, including al Qaeda in the north and seperatists in the south. Now however, sides are attacking each other in broad daylight with some tribes rebelling and other staying loyal.

[alhoon]

There was a civil war going on before the arab spring even began. It was minor assaults in the north and south from two different groups, including al Qaeda in the north and seperatists in the south. Now however, sides are attacking each other in broad daylight with some tribes rebelling and other staying loyal.

OK, I take it back. It is a civil war. Another civil war.

I really wonder: Don't people that stuck in power for 30-40 years ever want to retire and enjoy their hard-stolen billions? I mean, if Gaddafi has said last year, before the protests "Well... I'm buying a large estate in the Carribean with lots of bodyguards to be safe and lots of girls to keep me happy. Goodbye!" a lot of people would be alive today.

[decimator22]

OK, I take it back. It is a civil war. Another civil war.

I really wonder: Don't people that stuck in power for 30-40 years ever want to retire and enjoy their hard-stolen billions? I mean, if Gaddafi has said last year, before the protests "Well... I'm buying a large estate in the Carribean with lots of bodyguards to be safe and lots of girls to keep me happy. Goodbye!" a lot of people would be alive today.

I'd say they stay to ensure a that their descendants take the "throne" next.

I hope Yemen can stabilize, as Gertrudius said another failed state next to Somalia would make the Gulf of Aden hell.

[e_lizard]

there already is i'm afraid.

YOUR ARE FROM YEMEN

[Lord Zhang Ku]

YOUR ARE FROM YEMEN

Can someone get a moderator to close this thread....?

[Armenum]

Why can these selfish leaders to their people and country a favour and resign? Are they really willing to put the people through a Civil War to cling to their unsupported power? The reports of their president being hospitalised is also going to greatly weaken his position.

[Sphere]

Assad is next hopefully.

[Atlassmurf]

*dum dum dum* Another one bites the dust...

[Salvatorel]

*dum dum dum* Another one bites the dust...

Not yet,though it seems quite likely... after all a neck injury is a serious thing

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

I hope Yemen gets rid of there scummy leader

[garudamon11]

Good I hope he dies

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http...qwYJZA&h=b4689

Protesters danced, sang and slaughtered cows in the central square of Yemen’s capital today to celebrate the departure of the country’s authoritarian leader for medical treatment after he was wounded in a rocket attack on his compound.

[Hookah Smoking Caterpiller]

I doubt he's coming back..