Yemeni president leaves hospital

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has left a Saudi hospital two months after being injured in a bomb attack as his forces waged a crackdown on protesters.

Yemeni-President-Ali-Abdullah-Saleh_B_Getty_934626609


The president is now resting at a Saudi palace after leaving a hospital in Riyadh on Saturday having "recovered" from his wounds.

"The doctors allowed him to leave the hospital for convalescence, but he will return from time to time for consultations, monitoring, and for medical tests," the Saba news agency reported yesterday.

"The Yemeni president left the military hospital this (Saturday) evening at 9 pm (1800 GMT) after receiving the necessary treatment and was taken to a temporary residence for a recovery period," a Saudi official told AFP news agency.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not say how long Saleh would stay on in the kingdom, which neighbours Yemen where an uprising against his rule broke out at the end of January.

"Saleh has left hospital after his health conditions improved and is staying at the Conferences Palace in Riyadh, but he still has problems with his legs," the Saudi official said.

He said Prime Minister Ali Mujawar, who was also hit in the attack, "remains in hospital... and is expected to leave within a couple of days," while Yemen's Consultative Council head, Abdulaziz Abdulghani, was still in "intensive care."

Saleh appeared on television on July 7 for the first time since the June 3 bombing, covered in bandages.

Yemen's veteran leader accused "elements of terrorism" of having targeted him in the bomb attack, without specifying the identity of the assailants.

Three days later, he was shown on television receiving John Brennan, US President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser. Saleh was in better shape than in his earlier appearance, although burns on his face were still visible.

The White House said Brennan called on Saleh to sign a transition plan sponsored by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council that would see him cede power within 30 days in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

Since Saleh's departure to Saudi Arabia, Yemeni Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi has assumed power in Sanaa but without being designated as de facto head of state.

The opposition, meanwhile, has called for the creation of an interim council, to prevent the return of Saleh who has defiantly clung to power.

Saleh has ruled Yemen since 1978 and worked closely with the United States in fighting Al-Qaeda, but cooperation has been sharply curtailed this year because of the turmoil in the country.

Yemeni security forces and government supporters have carried out deadly attacks on protesters, while opposition tribesmen have battled government forces in Sanaa and elsewhere and some military units have defected to the opposition.

Influential tribal leaders formed a coalition last month headed by tribal chief Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar to bolster the uprising against Saleh that has cost at least 200 lives.

Saleh first took power at the height of the Cold War as leader of North Yemen in 1978, and in 1990 he successfully steered the country to unification with the communist South.

He has survived a string of crises, including Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 after which Saudi Arabia hit Yemen with economic sanctions for having sided with the Iraqi dictator.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AFP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world