Saudi king replaces top brass in latest shake-up

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia has replaced top military commanders, including its chief of staff, in the latest move to bring fresh blood into the kingdom’s upper ranks.

The changes, announced in a string of royal decrees late on Monday, come a month before the third anniversary of a Saudiled military intervention in the Yemen war which has killed thousands and triggered a humanitarian crisis.

Saudi Arabia for decades has been home to some of the world’s most restrictive policies, banning women from driving or mixing with men and outlawing cinemas and other forms of entertainment.

But since King Salman named his son, Prince Mohammed, as heir to the throne in June, the kingdom has witnessed a string of reforms, launched at breakneck speed and aimed at moving Saudi Arabia away from its economic dependence on oil.

The monarch on Monday replaced the heads of the ground forces and air defences as well as several deputy ministers, and in a rare move named a woman to the government.

“Termination of the services of Gen Abdul Rahman bin Saleh al Bunyan, Chief of Staff,” the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) announced, adding that Fayyad al Ruwaili had been appointed as his replacement. No official reason was given for the sweeping overhaul.

State media said, however, the decisions were taken ‘upon the recommendation’ of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also defence minister and widely seen as the power behind the throne.

Al Bunyan’s retirement comes after he inaugurated a global arms exhibition this week in the Saudi capital Riyadh by the Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI), the state-owned defence company.

Tamadar bint Yousef al Ramah was appointed the deputy minister of labour and social development, a rare senior government post for a woman in the conservative kingdom.