Egypt: Sisi appoints new defence minister, army chief of staff

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi yesterday announced the appointment of a new Chief of Staff for the Armed Forces.

In a brief statement the President’s Office said: “President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has issued a decree appointing Lieutenant General Ahmed Fathy Ibrahim Khalifa as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.” He replaces General Osama Askar.

Khalifa graduated from the Military Academy in 1987 and advanced through all command positions in the Artillery Corps, eventually becoming assistant director of Artillery, then director of the Artillery Institute.

He has previously served as director of the Department of Morale Affairs, head of the Organisation and Administration Authority of the Armed Forces, and head of the Armed Forces Operations Authority, before becoming secretary-general of the Ministry of Defence.

Earlier yesterday, Lieutenant General Abdel Maged Saqr was sworn in as minister of defence, succeeding Lieutenant General Mohamed Zaki. Saqr has served as governor of Suez since 2018, before being promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed minister of defence. He has held numerous military positions, notably assistant minister of defence in 2015, according to the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper.

Al-Sisi also appointed former Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki as his assistant for defence affairs and former Chief of Staff Osama Askar as presidential adviser for military affairs.

Former judge Omar Marwan was appointed head of the President’s Office, General Mohsen Abdel Nabi as presidential adviser for media affairs, and former Minister of Planning Hala El-Said as presidential adviser for economic affairs.

This is the first time since Al-Sisi took over the presidency in 2014 that a cabinet reshuffle has resulted in changes within the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs. Youm7 described the reshuffle as “the most extensive in the government’s history, with 23 out of 31 ministerial portfolios being changed.”

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