Protestors crowded the streets of Sanaa, Yemen Saturday as President Ali Abdullah Saleh left for Saudi Arabi.  Saleh left his country for medical treatment after sustaining head wounds from rocket attacks to his palace Friday.

The country has been in the midsts of political unrest as Saleh loyalists met opposition from both pro-democracy and militia groups in support the Ahmar family.

Many demonstrators used Saleh's absence as a call for celebration believing political change was now imminent. 

 

“I tell all the martyrs to rest in peace,” demonstrator Safia al-Hilah said to the Washington Post. “Their blood has not been shed in vain. Your blood has made the revolution. The most important thing is that the head of the snake has been cut and the rest will surrender.”

Others, however, say celebration at the moment is premature. 

“This is not the end, by any stretch of the imagination,” Jamal Nasser, spokesmen for Yemen’s largest protest organization, Coordinating Council of the Youth Revolution said to the Christian Science Monitor. “I just don’t feel like celebrations are appropriate at this point.”

Despite Saleh absence, the Yemeni government is still heavily influenced by members of the Saleh family. Saleh's son, half-brother and nephew al hold powerful positions in the military. 

Christian Science Monitor: 

"Saleh’s oldest son, Ahmad Ali Saleh, is head of Yemen’s elite Republican Guard and the country’s special forces, which have stood by Saleh as other military units defect. Prior to the current unrest, he was being groomed to succeed Saleh as president.

Saleh also installed several of his nephews in government positions, overseeing the country’s national security, central security, counterterrorism forces, and presidential guard. Saleh’s half-brother, Mohammed Saleh Abdullah al-Ahmar, leads the country’s air force. Dozens more members of the Saleh family have vast land and economic holdings – everything from oil and tobacco companies to Yemenia Airlines – as well as government and security positions.

Even if Saleh did opt to step down, it wouldn’t be the end of the Saleh family’s power."

As a result, different reports are coming in regards to the country's next steps. 

The Washington Post: 

The vice president met Sunday with U.S. Ambassador Gerald M. Feierstein, Yemen’s news agency reported. The two discussed steps required to maintain a cease-fire between government forces and tribal militias. They also spoke about Yemen’s the political opposition, known as the Joint Meeting Parties.

Christian Science Monitor: 

What comes next in Yemen’s power transfer, ironically, seems to be in line with a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) power transfer deal that was rejected by the former president and protesters alike.

“The first step of the GCC initiative was to name al-Hadi as acting president. The opposition is now pushing for presidential elections. It seems as though the GCC plan will be put into play after all,” says Yemeni political analyst Abdul Ghani al-Iryani. “But I’m sure of one thing – Saleh is not coming back to Yemen.”