Hadi orders restructuring of Yemen army

Move aimed at curbing powers of son of former strongman Saleh

Yemen’s president ordered the restructuring of some military units on Monday, aiming to curb the powers of a son of former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh and stabilise a country where Saleh’s legacy still looms large.

The move coincided with an air strike that killed two suspected militants linked to Al Qaida, still a major threat to Yemen despite being driven out of its main southern strongholds by a US-backed military offensive in June.

State-owned news agency Saba said late on Monday that President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi issued decrees transferring the command of some Republican Guards’ units to a newly formed force called the Presidential Protective Forces under his authority.

Other units from the elite Re- publican Guards, which is led by Brigadier General Ahmad Ali Abdullah Saleh, the ex-president’s son, were placed under different regional command. The president’s decrees also incorporated some army units led by dissident General Ali Mohsen Al Ahmar, who broke away from Saleh’s forces after the protests began last year, into the new presidential force or under regional command.

Ahmar welcomed the decrees and called them “brave and patriotic decisions”, Saba said, adding that the moves re- store unity to the armed forces and improve discipline.

Hadi, who had served as Saleh’s deputy, took power in February after standing as the only candidate in a presidential election. His election came as part of a deal brokered by Yemen’s Gulf neighbours to end the political upheaval. The president has vowed to unify the army, which is divided between Saleh’s allies and foes. In April, he removed about 20 top commanders, including a half brother of Saleh and other relatives.