Two new ministers responsible for the country's security were sworn in on Thursday by Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to be part of the new cabinet headed by PM Mostafa Madbouly.

Mohamed Zaki, the former commander of the Republican Guard, was sworn in as defence minister to succeed Sedkyi Sobhy, and Mahmoud Tawfik, head of the country's National Security Agency, was sworn in as the new interior minister, replacing Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar.

Zaki was appointed as the head of the Republican Guard in August 2012.

He was promoted to lieutenant general in January 2017.

Zaki is known for his pivotal role in the June 2013 uprising, which toppled former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

The new defence minsiter was born in 1956. He served in the infantry and participated in the campaign to liberate Kuwait in 1991. 

Mahmoud Tawfik was born in August 1961 in Gizah governorate, and graduated from the Police Academy in 1981.

Tawfik served in several departments within the ministry, mainly in national and state security departments.

He later served as the deputy to the interior minister for national security, before being appointed in October 2017 as the chief of the National Security Agency.

The new interior minister is known for his counter-terrorism initiatives and successful dismantling of many terrorist cells in recent years.