Yemen’s president Abdrabu Mansour Hadi issued the republican decree 32 for 2012 forming the presidential guard, the official agency Saba reported on Monday.
Four brigades from the first armored division and the republican guard were selected as the presidential guard which were: the brigade 314 from the first armored division and the brigades 1, 2 and 3 from the republican guard, Saba said.
Under the decree, the brigades will be financially and administratively independent and will be separated from their previous leaderships: the first armored division and the republican guard.
The decree coincided with another decree marking the first step within the plans to restructure the national armed forces.
Under the second decree, seven brigades were separated from the first armored division and the republican guard and annexed to military zones across the republic, according to Saba.
In recent weeks, the Yemeni government, which was formed under a West-backed transition deal after the 2011 unrest, has launched major efforts to restructure the armed and security forces according to the deal terms. The US and the EU are providing direct assistance on the restructuring according to the deal.
The deal, which was signed in November and saw former president relinquish power after 33 years in offices, included a key term calling for ending the division of the armed and security forces which happened during the popular uprising in 2011.
The move also comes amid calls by the public and some political forces demanding to restructure the army and security forces before holding a comprehensive national dialogue to ensure a successful transition period.