SANA’A — Major Gen. Tariq Maohammad Abdullah Saleh, the nephew of the former president left Yemen to join his family residing in Abu Dhabi, well-informed sources said, affirming that he did not hand over the 3rd Republican Guard Brigade to his successor Abudl-Rahman Al-Halili, who was appointed by the new president Abd Rabo Mansour Hadi last March.  

Tariq’s family along with other families of Saleh, including Saleh’s son, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, resides in luxurious villas in Abu Dhabi,UAE.

Tariq rebelled against Hadi’s decrees for several weeks and refused to hand over the command of the 3rd Brigade, despite international pressure and the intervention of the UN envoy Jamal Benomar.

Hadi summoned the commander of the Republican Guard, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh last Tuesday and ordered him to hand over the rebelling brigades of the Republican Guard since Colonel Abdul-Malik Meyad, one of Saleh’s aides, clung to the command of the 1st Republican Guard Brigade, the Special Guard Forces, rebelling against Hadi’s decrees.  

Last Thursday, the newly appointed commander of the Special Guard, Mohammad Al-Juaimlani, was allowed to enter the headquarters of the 1st Brigade.

Abdu Rabo Meyad was among the most loyal commanders to Saleh and was appointed as a commander of the Special Guard by Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh without taking into consideration the opinion of the Defense Minister or the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Hadi.  

A military source confirmed that Al-Juaimalni has officially started his duties as commander of the 1st Brigade. He is tasked with guarding presidential palaces,as the presidential palace is the headquarters for the 1st Brigade command.

Abdu Rabo Meyad was appointed as  commander of the 3rd Infantry Brigade, located to the north of the capital Sana’a, on the top of Al-Sama’a Mountain in Arhab.   

Diplomatic sources said Benomar will arrive in Sana’a on May 23 to be briefed the status of commitments to the GCC-backed power transfer deal and its implementation mechanism.  

Meanwhile, the German Ambassador to Yemen, Holger Green, said that the former President, Ali Abdullah Saleh, did not abandon the political scene, saying that recent developments in Yemen showed that Saleh, his family, and his allies still use their influence to create obstructions to Hadi’s rule.

He further affirmed that the choices available to the European Union will be very painful if they are applied, hinting that those who intend to stall the transition process will experience serious repercussions from the EU.

He went on to say that while Yemen’s situation is still far from stable, he praised in the recent developments made by Hadi. Asserting that they are much better than most of the foreign observers expected in November 2011.

In an interview with the English-language Yemen Fox, Green said Yemen has a fully legitimized President who enjoys the support of the international community in his efforts to stabilize the country, cautioning against attempts of hampering the president’s decrees.

He said that the division of the army contributed in the expansion of Al-Qaeda, stressing that success is more visible as the army can now reach the strongholds of the militants.

He stressed the importance of operating for the success of the national dialogue and maintaining stability, considering the failure of the dialogue a catastrophe for Yemen.  

 He reiterated that preparation for the national dialogue will not be easy, saying that the global world including Germany will share its experience in this field and support Yemen in its difficult task.

“ It is never a good idea to engage in dialogue with preconditions; it only complicates matters”  he added, indicating that the demands of youth for more democracy, more participation, less corruption and a better economic development are very legitimate.

 The German ambassador stressed that there is no short-term remedy to get Yemen out of its present difficult economic situation, stressing that Yemen should invest in human resources as natural resources will not last forever.