Ministry of Interior (Egypt)

The Ministry of Interior of Egypt is part of the Cabinet of Egypt. It is responsible for law enforcement in Egypt. The current minister is Mansour el-Essawy, appointed 5 March 2011.

The Ministry of the Interior directs the Central Security Forces, around 325,000 in 2007, and the Border Guard Forces, 12,000 in 2007.^[1]

The Border Guard Forces are organised in 18 border guard regiments. The Border Guard Forces are a lightly armed paramilitary unit, mostly Bedouins, responsible for border surveillance, general peacekeeping, drug interdiction, and prevention of smuggling. During the late 1980s, the force was equipped with remote sensors, night-vision binoculars, communications vehicles, and high-speed motorboats. The Border Guard Forces apparently used to be under the Ministry of Defence, but at some point before 2007 were transferred to the Ministry of the Interior.

As of 30 January 2011, Egyptian protesters besieged the building of the Ministry of interior. The Army negotiated a settlement with the staff and protestors, whereby the Cairo staff leave the building peaceful while the army protects the building.^[2]

See also

Added On March 22, 2011 CNN's Ivan Watson looks at the life of the man who inspired protesters to stand up across the Middle East. Divergent views on U.S. role in revolutionary North Africa News & Videos about Tunisia - CNN.com

\*Cabinet of Egypt

The current minister Mohamed Ibrahim Youssef

References

1. ^ IISS Military Balance 2007, p.223
2. ^ http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/930658--protesters-stand-their-ground-as-tanks-roll-into-tahrir-square?bn=1

External links

• Official website