Yemenis celebrate Saleh departure, hope is final

SANAA: Thousands of democracy activists sang and danced in the streets of Yemen's capital on Sunday, celebrating the departure of President Ali Abdullah Saleh and hoping it marked the end of his three decades in power.

"The country is more beautiful without you," said a sign held up by one Yemeni, of the thousands of Saleh's opponents who have been camping since early February in an area of the capital, Sanaa, that they have dubbed Change Square.

They danced through the night after news late on Saturday that Saleh had flown to neighbouring Saudi Arabia for surgery to remove shrapnel from his chest, the result of a rocket attack on the presidential compound that killed or injured several aides.

In the southern city of Taiz tens of thousands celebrated Saleh's departure with a fireworks display.

Until the attack on Friday Saleh had held doggedly to power, defying international pressure to stand down in the face of a protest movement, inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, that sought his removal and demanded democracy.

"We won, finally. The revolution was successful. Saleh isn't coming back!" one activist said -- though others were less confident his departure was final.

The capital, which has been engulfed in increasingly lethal fighting since Saleh refused to sign a Gulf Arab peace initiative last month, was more relaxed on Sunday.

The armed groups that had been battling in the streets disappeared overnight, and fewer families were seen fleeing the city.

Fighting between Saleh's armed forces and tribesmen and army units on the side of the protesters has killed more than 200 people since the protests broke out in January.

In recent months electricity has been cut for some 10 hours every day, but supplies were restored late on Saturday after Saleh left the country.

Amid the celebrations, some were concerned that Saleh might return.

"Our happiness will be complete once we're sure that Saleh won't come back," a resident at a local cafe said on Sunday.

Some activists said Saleh had left enough of his loyalists behind to indicate he intended to stay in power, though many said Saudi Arabia might try to persuade him to hand over power now that he was in their country.

Some in the southern city of Aden were worried that violence would worsen in Saleh's absence.

"People are worried about what will happen after Saleh's departure. They're most worried about a military coup or struggles for power within the army," said Farouq, a local journalist.

"The water and electricity in Aden are still being cut every few hours, keeping people focused on basic necessities rather than celebrating Saleh's trip to Saudi Arabia."

Copyright Reuters, 2011