(DNE File Photo)
The new Minister of Interior, Magdy Abdel Ghaffar, swiftly changed the majority of the ministry’s leadership, one day following his appointment, marking an upcoming change of direction in the ministry.
The shuffle in the ministry brought in 12 new assistants of the minister for the divisions of economic security, social security, general security, national security, and prisons authority among others.
The shuffle also included the appointment of new chiefs for security directorates in Cairo, Giza, Assiut, Qena and Gharbeya governorates.
A police lieutenant colonel, who requested anonymity, told Daily News Egypt that the hasty shuffle indicates the minister’s determination to impose power among the high ranks in the ministry.
He said: “The new minister erased the traces of his predecessors through moving top ranked officials to less influential positions.”
Deputy Minister of Interior for Media and Public Relations Abdel Fattah Othman was moved from his position to be the new minister’s assistant for Minya, Damietta and Kafr El-Sheikh security directorates.
The head of the ministry’s media production, Alaa Mahmoud, who is considered along with Othman as ironmen in the ministry, was moved to the immigration and passports division.
Refaat Abdel Hamid, a retired police general and security analyst, said the appointment of former head of the National Security Agency as minister will boost the country’s search for information security.
He said: “The quick shuffle he conducted shows firm intent on solidifying the grip and moving the ministry into a new direction.”
The shake-up in the ministry’s hierarchy also saw controversial figures brought into top positions. These include the new head of prisons authority division Hassan Al-Sohagy, who was former head of Aswan’s security directorate and, under his tenure, tribal clashes in the southern governorate left scores dead.
