President Saleh's nephew quits his post as the head of Presidential Guard

By Fatik al-Rodaini

SANA'A, April 27, 2012- General Tareq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, the head of the Presidential Guard, handed on Friday his duties over to his successor.

The nephew of the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, is reported to have agreed to stand down as head of the Presidential Guard.

General Tareq, who has refused to quit for weeks, left his post, handing over his duties to the newely appointed General Saleh Mohammed Abdu rabo al-Jeamelani.

Former President Saleh's nephew was sacked on 6 April along with nearly 20 other senior officers as part of a restructuring of the armed forces.

On Tuesday, General Mohammed Saleh al-Ahmar, the head of the country's air force, a half-brother of the former president, agreed to step down in the presence of the United Nations envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar.

Gen Ahmar demanded the dismissal of the country's defense minister and other senior officials.

On April 6, President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi issued a decree in which he sacked Ahmar, a half-brother of deposed president Ali Abdullah Saleh, as well as the ex-leader’s nephew General Tariq Mohammed Abdullah Saleh, who heads the presidential guard.

Both generals had refused to quit, and Ahmar’s loyalists even surrounded Sanaa’s airport and threatened to shoot down planes, forcing its closure for one day.

The airport was reopened after international and regional powers voiced support for Hadi, who must restructure the army based on a Gulf-brokered deal that Yemen’s political parties have agreed upon.