Yemen Monitor/Aden/Special Report:
The recent decision by the Yemeni Ministry of Interior to suspend access to the system for issuing smart cards at the Civil Status and Registry branch in the temporary capital of southern Yemen has raised many questions about the relationship with the Southern Transitional Council(STC), a key partner in the legitimate government and the Presidential Leadership Council.
According to officials in the Ministry of Interior, the smart card system was disabled at the Crater district center after the local authorities in Aden rejected the minister’s decision to refer the branch manager (loyal to the STC) for investigation due to violations, including the issuance of identity cards to foreign nationals, and the appointment of a replacement.
Interior Minister Ibrahim Haidan had issued a ministerial decision appointing Rafat Jamil as the branch manager, replacing Brigadier General Essam Faqira, after referring him for investigation.
The ministry formed a committee headed by the Undersecretary for Civil Service Affairs to investigate the incident and other violations in the branch.
According to officials in the Interior Ministry, the decision to appoint the replacement, Rafat Jamil, was temporarily suspended until the return of Aden Governor and Minister of State Ahmed Hamid Lamlas from abroad at his request.
Officials also stated that “the Civil Status Authority and its branches are subject to the ministry, not the local authority, and that the new director, Rafat Jamil, accepted the assignment reluctantly as he held a higher position as the director general of civil registry in the republic and was demoted to the position of branch manager in Aden, and that this assignment may deprive him of the rank of “brigadier general” that he is entitled to,” according to their statements and expressions.
