Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh has returned home after medical treatment abroad calling for a ceasefire to end five days of fierce fighting in the capital Sanaa.

The country has been paralysed since January when a popular uprising began to end his 33 years in power.

The United States has called for him to step aside and arrange a full transfer of power to allow Yemen to ‘move on.’

One hundred people were killed in the past week, bringing the total number of dead to 450.

Protester Mohammed Ali said “The revolutionaries are happy with his return and God willing it will mean he will be tried in a cage along with his two sons, just like Hosni Mubarak and his sons.”

Fellow protester Kamal al-Shadadi added “The return of Ali Abdullah Saleh does not concern us whatsoever because our revolution will be victorious. We rose up against him when he was at the peak of his power.”

Saleh was treated in Saudi Arabia after an assassination attempt.

Despite the opposition’s strength, Saleh still commands significant support and his return has prompted fears that bloodshed in Yemen could now escalate.

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