President Abdrabu Mansour Hadi chaired the extraordinary meeting of the high security committee and senior military and security chiefs and vowed to hold accountable those who neglect their responsibilities and those who don’t demonstrate their commitment to the power-transfer deal in Yemen, Saba reported.
“It is true we let some violations go unpunished in the past, but from now on, we will not allow that again, especially acts affecting the West-backed power-transfer deal, which is considered the honorable exit to the current situation in the country,” he was quoted as saying.
Reviewing the steps taken after the recent alarming events including the attacks on the interior and defense ministries in the capital Sanaa, Hadi vowed to punish those involved in all illegal acts including sabotaging oil and gas pipelines as well as power supply lines.
“The political settlement in Yemen is receiving large local, regional and international support; hence, Yemen is determined to continue the implementation of the power transfer perfectly,” he said.
“The UN secretary general has ordered to open an office for his assistant coinciding with plans to open a GCC office in Yemen both of which will closely watch progress on the implementation of the transition in the country”.
At the meeting, which came amid alarming security disorder due to the persistent division of the armed forces and intensified Qaeda bombings, he stressed the importance of unifying the military and security uniforms and working together to boost security across the republic.
“The fight against Al-Qaeda is the responsibility of all Yemenis without exceptions and the people should work together to eradicate terrorism in their country,” he said.
The Yemeni army launched in the past few months a US-backed offensive and drove Al-Qaeda militants out of their strongholds in the southern provinces of Abyan and Shabwa. Hundreds of militants including senior leaders have been killed in the offensive and a continuing hunt for the remaining Qaeda operatives.
In what appeared to be retaliation for the severe blows, Al-Qaeda has recently carried out the deadliest suicide bombings in main cities including the capital Sanaa, with security and military chiefs, personnel and offices key targets.
Also, Yemen is facing another big challenge affecting the democratic transition which is resistance to the efforts and decisions aimed at restructuring the armed forces.