Saleh’s dead but his war goes on
YEMEN’S Houthi rebels say they have killed their former ally and the instigator of the civil war, Ali Abdullah Saleh, in a development likely to plunge the suffering country into further chaos.
The former president was reportedly gunned down by Houthi attackers on Monday after his armoured convoy fled the rebel-controlled capital Sanaa for Marib, the neighbouring loyalist province.
Fighting between Houthis and forces loyal to Saleh broke out in Sanaa last week after months of tension and allegations Mr Saleh was seeking to switch sides.
Previously Houthis were allied with Saleh’s General People’s Congress party against exiled President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who is backed by a powerful Saudi and UAE-led coalition.
In a lengthy speech aired on Houthi television, top official Abdul-Malek al-Houthi said Mr Saleh’s death was the result of his “betrayal and treason”.
Two officials from the GPC as well as Yemen’s exiled interior ministry – which operates from Saudi Arabia – also verified Mr Saleh had been killed.
A grisly video circulating on social media reportedly shows Mr Saleh’s body being carried in a blanket, blood visible on his shirt. A serious head wound is visible as men cheer and bundle his body into a truck.
Initial reports Mr Saleh had been killed came after his house in the capital was blown up by Houthi mortars.
Clashes in the city in the past few days have killed at least 125 people and injured more than 200.
“The one thing that appears to be certain is more conflict and more suffering,” said Adam Baron, a past Sanaa resident.