Yemen: Al Ahmar Agrees To Truce After President Saleh Departure
Sadeq al Ahmar the tribal leader who fought Yemen’s government forces has agreed to a truce with the country’s vice president, Yemen’s interim ruler, the tribal leader’s spokesman said Sunday.
“In response to the vice president’s call to end confrontation in Sana’a, Sadeq Al-Ahmar has ordered his fighters to evacuate the government buildings they took over since the beginning of the clashes two weeks ago and to halt all fighting in the capital,” Abdulqawi Al-Qaisi said.
Al-Ahmar’s gunmen are suspected of being behind an attack on a mosque within the presidential palace Friday that left Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh injured. Saleh was treated in Saudi Arabia.
Saleh’s condition was unclear. Western diplomatic sources conveyed the veteran leader was undergoing neurosurgery while a spokesman for his party conveyed he was undergoing “simple check-ups.” Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi is in charge during his absence.
A senior U.S. official said Saleh had shrapnel wounds and severe burns to his face and chest.
It is not clear if Saleh intends to return to his country or remain in Saudi Arabia. Another question is whether his absence means that the goal of the popular revolution is achieved.
