Egypt changes defence, interior ministers

CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi replaced the interior and defence ministers in a major reshuffle Thursday, with security forces battling an Islamist insurgency at the start of his second term.

Sisi swept to another four years in office against a token challenger at elections in March, pledging to tackle the raft of security and economic challenges facing the country. Egyptian forces have since February been waging a sweeping operation against the local affiliate of the Islamic State group in the restive North Sinai province. The new cabinet under freshly-appointed Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli, who previously served as housing minister, was sworn in live on state TV. General Mohamed Ahmed Zaki Mohamed, who led the republican guard since August 2012, became the new defence minister in place of Sedki Sobhi. Sobhi had held the post since taking over from Sisi when he ran for the top office in 2014, a year after spearheading the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi during mass protests. The position of interior minister was filled by General Mahmoud Tawfiq, who had led the national security apparatus since October 2017, replacing Magdi Abdel Ghaffar. The new cabinet represented a major overhaul, with fresh faces appointed to ten other ministerial positions, including the key finance portfolio.