In a lengthy interview with state-owned newspapers Al-Ahram, Al-Akhbar and Al-Gomhoria on Monday President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi revealed that there will be a new governor reshuffle in January.

He also revealed that there could be a ministerial reshuffle before the parliamentary election if "it was in the best interest of the public."

"I am not satisfied with the performance of all the ministers," he said, adding however that in the current circumstances governmental performance is fine.

"But we need more effort from the government," he added.

Regarding university students currently detained in riot and protest related cases, El-Sisi said that there were surely innocent students among those who were arrested. Some may have been arrested despite the fact that they there were not involved in violence or crimes, he opined.

El-Sisi said he had commissioned at least two committees, as well the minister of interior, to review all the cases to see if there were innocent students detained.

"I do not mind that the students in the universities speak up, they can say what they want, but without destroying the universities or using violence, otherwise how can we attract tourism or investment in Egypt?" the president said.

Thousands of university students have been detained and tried in accordance with the protest law since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Clashes between students and security forces have become frequent over the past year.

Regarding the situation in Sinai, El-Sisi said that there had been a major military operation in North Sinai for the past 25 days, away from the media. He said that the plan to create a buffer zone at the Egyptian-Gaza border was working as planned, adding that new policies are also being adopted to counter terrorism.

The Egyptian security forces have been facing a decade-long jihadist insurgency in Sinai, where hundreds of army and police personnel have been killed. Attacks against security forces have however escalated since the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

The military has announced killing and arresting hundreds of militants.

Civilians have also been caught up in the violence.

Last November, Sinai-based militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis pledged allegiance to Islamic State, which currently controls parts of Syria and Iraq.



https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/119047.aspx