Yemen Monitor / Aden / Exclusive:
Yemen’s Interior Minister, Ibrahim Haidan, issued a decision on Tuesday appointing officials to several key security positions in Aden. The appointments included figures previously affiliated with the dissolved Southern Transitional Council (STC), most notably Brigadier General Jalal al-Rubaie, former commander of the Security Belt forces, who was appointed commander of the Special Security Forces in the city.
Decision No. 28 of 2026 also appointed Brigadier General Mohammed Abdo Mohammed Salem al-Mussaybi as Deputy Director General of Aden Police and Assistant for Security Affairs; Brigadier General Jamal Fadl Abdulkarim al-Qatini as Assistant Director General for Human Resources and Financial Affairs; and Brigadier General Mohammed Khaled Haidara al-Turki as Assistant for Operations.
The decision further included the appointment of Brigadier General Hassan Mohsen Saleh al-Omari as Director of Criminal Investigation, Colonel Fouad Mohammed Ali Ahmed Saeed as his deputy, and Lieutenant Colonel Mayas Haidara Ali Ahmed al-Jaadani as Director of the Anti-Narcotics Department. Article Two of the decree also appointed Brigadier General Saleem Saleh Ali al-Makhshani as Director of Security for the Free Zone.
The Interior Ministry stated that the move aims to reorganize field operations, raise readiness levels, and improve coordination among various security units and formations, contributing to stability in the city.
The decision stipulates that it takes effect from the date of issuance and cancels any previous decisions that contradict its provisions.
However, observers noted that the reappointment of figures formerly linked to the now-dissolved council—such as al-Rubaie, who has been accused of violations against civilians, particularly northern citizens—raises questions about accountability for past abuses.
In a previous interview following events in Hadramawt and Al-Mahra, the Interior Minister had announced that forces affiliated with the council would be integrated and redistributed under the leadership of the Ministries of Defense and Interior, with rehabilitation, training, and the correction of national loyalty, as he described it.
