SANAA - YemenÂ’s president removed his predecessorÂ’s son and nephews from powerful security posts on Wednesday in the most dramatic step yet in sidelining old regime figures, according to the nationÂ’s state-run media.Former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who stepped down in early 2012 after more than a year of protests against his rule, placed relatives and loyalists in top military and government posts over his 33-year rule. They have been accused of obstructing the US-backed government as it tries to reform and fight an active Al Qaeda branch in the country.
Fireworks went off in the capital, Sanaa, and YemenÂ’s second largest city, Taiz, after the announcement. Restructuring the army was a top demand by Yemenis after SalehÂ’s ouster.
His vice-president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, took over in a power transfer deal brokered by YemenÂ’s powerful Gulf neighbours and backed by the United States. Hadi has since been trying to remove former regime loyalists over concerns that Saleh was using them to further destabilise the turmoil-wracked country.
Washington has expressed concern that some in the military have been taking advantage of their positions for personal gain to interfere in the countryÂ’s transition, since regime change threatens their personal interests. The UN Security Council warned Saleh directly that he could face sanctions if attempts to undermine the new national unity government persist.
In his latest move, Hadi not only removed SalehÂ’s son and two nephews from their posts, but also effectively ordered them to leave the country by posting them abroad.
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In a sign of how challenging the overhaul has been, Republican Guard troops earlier this week forced businesses closed and clashed with police and residents in the city of Radda, about 160km south of the capital.