Burned? Maybe. Fucked? Surely.

Neil MacFarquhar and Robert Worth have an article in The New York Times about the situation in Yemen:

The uncertainty surrounding the political future of Yemen’s president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, deepened as he was treated for far more severe burns than had first been disclosed, while maneuvering intensified in the capitals of Yemen, the United States, and Saudi Arabia to head off an emerging and dangerous power vacuum. Mr. Saleh’s sudden departure from Yemen initially prompted warring factions to call a cease-fire, but that failed to stabilize the badly fractured nation as fighting intensified in the south between militants and the government, leaving dozens dead.
While mediators move toward establishing a transitional government, Mr. Saleh’s condition and his prospects for recovery emerged as the crucial factor in determining who will rule the nation, which is an important ally of the United States in fighting terrorism. While Washington and Riyadh have wanted Mr. Saleh to step down in the face of months of protests and increasing violence, there was no agreement on how to proceed while he is in the hospital in Saudi Arabia.
Interpretations of Mr. Saleh’s medical state have varied according to the competing demands of the camps that would like different outcomes in Yemen. Those wanting him to remain in power suggest that he is fully conscious and in control, and expected to return to Yemen any day. Those who would like to see him step down portray his condition as more dire. He has not been seen publicly since the attack.
There has been some bickering within the Saudi royal family about the wisdom of pushing out a neighboring head of state, and King Abdullah would never issue an ultimatum to a fellow Arab leader to step down, especially in the face of the youth-driven uprisings shaking the region, diplomats said on the condition of anonymity in keeping with protocol.
The working plan for a transition of power— one Mr. Saleh has rejected three times— was outlined by the Gulf Cooperation Council and called for elections ninety days after he officially resigned. But with Washington and Riyadh eager for a transitional government to take power, the council’s plan is expected to be the focus of intense discussions in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, on the sidelines of a meeting about Libya.
Mr. Saleh, who was flown to Saudi Arabia along with the prime minister and other top aides for treatment at the Armed Forces Hospital in Riyadh, was first said to have light injuries, including burns on his face, neck, and arms caused by an explosion at the palace mosque during Friday prayer. But it was later revealed that he has suffered burns on forty percent of his body, and that a large wooden shard sliced into him and might have punctured a lung, said Abdul Rahman al-Rashed, the head of the Arabiya television network.
But the explosion left Mr. Saleh with burns on his back as well, and a person familiar with his injuries, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that, although not life-threatening, they were severe enough to require strong sedation for the pain and several months of convalescence.
“His face was quite charred,” said a Western official, speaking anonymously in accordance with government restrictions. “The burns are serious; he is not as well as his aides are portraying it.”
An Arab diplomat said, “It is not life threatening, but will require a lot of care.”
An aide reached at the hospital refused to confirm or deny the extent of the president’s injuries.
The source of the explosion, which killed several guards and the imam of the mosque and wounded a dozen government officials and Saleh allies, has also been mysterious. It was initially believed to have come from a mortar or rocket attack from outside the compound.
But, as the investigation continued, there have been reports by officials in Yemen and in the press there suggesting more of an inside job, a diplomatic source noted, including in the minbar, or pulpit. The splintering wood hit many, including the president, like spears. The reports have said the explosive material also apparently contained some kind of agent that spurred flames, noted the diplomatic source. Mr. Saleh was said to be bowing at the time of the explosion. “He was very close, and that is why he was burned,” the source said.
Amid the jockeying for political position, fighting flared in the city of Taiz and in Yemen’s restive southern coastal region. The violence included fierce battles between government troops and Islamist rebels in Zinjibar, which the rebels captured about two weeks ago. Yemen’s Defense Ministry issued a statement saying more than thirty militants suspected to belong to al-Qaeda had been killed after they attacked an army checkpoint outside Zinjibar. The military is gearing up for a major assault to force the militants out, Yemeni military officials said.
But a local tribal leader with ties to the militants said that nine had been killed, including a prominent al-Qaeda commander known as Abu Fawaz al-Maribi. Altogether, seventeen members of al-Qaeda have been killed in and around the city since it was overrun by militants this month, said the tribal leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. He also said dozens of soldiers had been killed. The Defense Ministry did not provide a toll of soldiers. Zinjibar has been largely cut off since its capture.
In Taiz, the streets echoed with gunfire and artillery shells as government forces fought armed tribesmen backing the pro-democracy protesters. Tanks could be seen firing on the city’s streets in images posted on Yemeni news sites.
“The attacks have been heavy,” said Hani Qahtani, a protester. “The sounds of it shake the entire city.” After almost two weeks of bitter fighting, the city faces a humanitarian crisis, residents said.
Violence also erupted along Yemen’s northern border with Saudi Arabia, as an unidentified gunman trying to drive into Yemen from the Saudi province of Najran killed two Saudi border police officers and wounded a third before being gunned down himself, the Saudi Interior Ministry said.
The border area has long been a conduit for smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people from Yemen into its richer northern neighbor. Stability along the border is one main reason Saudi Arabia takes a keen interest in steadying the central government.

Rico says he used to work with a guy named Saleh; might've been a relative...