The head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Rashad Al-Alimi issued republican decisions on Friday to establish a State Security Council and reorganize the security and intelligence apparatus.
The new State Security Council’s headquarters will be located in the interim capital, Aden, with the possibility of establishing branches across Yemen’s provinces.
The decrees, issued following a meeting in Riyadh with PLC members, entail the merging of the National Security and Political Security agencies into a single entity.
Additionally, the decrees involve the establishment of an independent counter-terrorism agency, with the appointment of its leader.
Reporting directly to the head of the PLC, the State Security Council is tasked with executing all duties and responsibilities outlined in the republican decision.
The organizational regulations specify the competencies of the Council’s leadership, sectors, divisions, and branches, as well as the general administrations overseen by each sector.
The presidential decision mandates that the heads of “Political Security” and “National Security,” along with the integration team formed by the PLC, develop a comprehensive implementation plan to conclude and finalize the integration process within a maximum period of six months from the issuance date of the decision.
Alimi’s decision obliges the novel Council to exercise its jurisdiction and carry out its tasks in a manner that upholds the principles of political pluralism, public freedoms, and human rights, and does not contradict the provisions of the constitution and applicable laws.
Furthermore, the organizational regulations for the Council will be issued based on recommendations and proposals from the integration committee formed by the PLC.
The head of the Council will issue organizational regulations for the administrative units and security force units, as well as permanent orders regarding duties, prohibitions for Council members, and the security of its elements and premises.
In addition, Alimi issued another decree outlining the establishment of a specialized counter-terrorism agency, headquartered in the interim capital of Aden and linked to the head of the Supreme Security Committee.
The decision defines the tasks, responsibilities, and organizational structure of the agency, specifying that its organizational regulations will be issued by a decision from the head of the PLC.
The agency will have an independent budget and financial system, supervised by the Supreme Security Committee.
The presidential decision obligates the agency to promptly refer cases involving suspects, seized items, and all related priorities to the State Security Council or relevant judicial authoritie
