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Reports noted that Yemen’s President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, signed a GCC-brokered peace deal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on November 23, to surrender power in return for immunity from prosecution in a bid to end a bloody anti-government uprising that has pushed the country close to civil war. After pulling out of the deal three times Saleh finally signed the accord giving power to his deputy in the presence of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The deal calls for early presidential elections within 90 days and gives Saleh immunity from prosecution. However, the protesters were dissatisfied over the deal condemning the immunity clause calling for prosecution of Saleh.1
In the meantime, Yemen named an opposition leader and a foreign minister Mohammed Basindwa as the interim Prime Minister on November 27. However, unrest continues in several parts of the country. At least 25 people were killed in sectarian clashes between Shias and Sunnis in northern part of the country on November 26-27.2
- 1. “Saleh resigns to protests in Sanaa”, The National, November 24, 2011, at
http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwide/middle-east/saleh-resigns-to-pr... - 2. “Yemen names interim prime minister; 25 die in sectarian fighting”, Arab News, November 27, 2011, at, http://arabnews.com/middleeast/article539604.ece