Yemeni opposition not exactly buying Saleh resignation claims

claim Longstanding Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, fresh from recovering from an assassination attempt that left most of his body burned, claimed on state television that he would be resigning from office soon. Finally.
dismissal However, Saleh has made this type of claim on three separate occasions since April, a period which included months of incapacitation. The boy who cried wolf? More like the leader that cried “stepping down!” source

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He will appear within the next 48 hours despite our fear that the burns on his features and on different parts of his body will be an obstacle given that his appearance will not be as the media expects it.
Ali Abdullah Saleh’s media secretary, Ahmed al-Sufi • Suggesting that Saleh will return to Yemen soon after spending weeks recovering in Saudi Arabia after his palace suffered a raid earlier this month. He suffered severe burns, but they cover less than 40 percent of his body … you know, not that much. As you might guess, hundreds of thousands of protesters aren’t taking this news well at all — they’re pushing for members of Saleh’s inner circle, including his sons, to leave the country. source

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We would be shortsighted to think this doesn’t pose short-term national security concerns. The likelihood is that [al-Qaeda operatives] will be raising their heads.
Frank J. Cilluffo, the head of, George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute • Describing the danger that the Saleh’s transition away from Yemeni leadership means for the War on Terror. A key terror cell — al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula — could cause serious issues by taking advantage of the instability in the region, while Yemeni opposition leaders deny the group’s existence at all. (Which is troubling because two separate attacks have been tied to the group since late 2009 — including the underwear bomber.) Another way this could force the U.S. into a precarious position: Saleh was an ally of the U.S., and an unstable transition could force diplomats to scramble to make up for a transition that doesn’t favor Americans. A complicated issue all around — and one with difficult answers. source

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Sure, he’s gone, but it wasn’t peaceful: Last night, crowds flared up in celebratory tones over the departure of Ali Abdullah Saleh, who left his post under unsatisfactory conditions after he was violently injured during a raid on his palace. The conditions that led to his departure (after he spent more than 32 years in power) have led some activists to be a little less-willing to celebrate it on its own terms. “Our revolution was hijacked by the tribes,” noted Yemeni journalist and activist Shatha al-Harazi. “How can we establish a civil state if tribes still wield so much power? They forced Saleh out with weapons and we failed to force him out with peace.” source

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08 Oct 2011 23:16