ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) on Thursday issued a decision to consolidate the country's fragmented security services under a new centralized security agency, the state-run Saba news agency reported.
In a decree by the PLC, the new centralized security agency would merge intelligence and security units previously affiliated with various factions involved in Yemen's long-running civil war.
Specifically, the Political Security Organization, National Security Bureau, and other intelligence departments of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), as well as the Republican Guard Forces, and Giants Brigade will all be integrated into the new security agency.
The newly formed agency will be headquartered in the country's southern port city of Aden, and its branches will be set up across Yemeni provinces controlled by the government.
The agency will report directly to the chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council, and receive orders from his office, according to the decree.
A six-month transition period was approved to oversee the merger process, it added.
In a related move, the PLC also established a new counter-terrorism unit with its own budget and organizational structure. Shalal Ali Shayea, former security commander of Aden and a prominent leader in the STC, was appointed as its chief.
The PLC said the decisions were part of efforts to enhance security and stability across Yemen amid the current challenging circumstances.
This move was seen as an effort to boost functional state institutions and coordination against ongoing threats like terrorism. However, the full implementation may face resistance from local power brokers reluctant to cede control, they added.
Yemen has been embroiled in a devastating civil war since 2014, with the Houthis fighting against the Yemeni government. The Saudi Arabia-led coalition intervened in the conflict in support of the Yemeni government in 2015. ■
