Military, Police, Intelligence, Who Governs the Provinces Now
Egypt Security Sector Report
This week’s issue examines recent provincial appointments, the continued military leadership of key civilian institutions, and new shifts in economic and security policy. I look at who is being placed in governorates, how sensitive bodies like CAPMAS remain under uniformed control, and the practical consequences of these arrangements, from wheat imports to conscription enforcement. I also cover the latest wave of arrests targeting refugees and foreign students.
From Barracks to Provincial Governors
Sisi continued with the bureaucratic reshuffles on the heels of the cabinet changes, to include new appointments to provincial administration.
Military:
Maj. Gen. Mohamed Salman Moussa Ibrahim al-Zamallout, Governor of Matrouh—former commander of the Northern Military Zone, chief of staff of the Central Military Zone, director of the Military Research Authority, and former governor of al-Wadi al-Gadid.
Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim Shihawi Abu Leimon, Governor of Port Said—former army officer (1984 to 1989), senior official at the State Accountability Authority (1989 to 2019), and former governor of Monufia (2019 to 2026).
Maj. Gen. Ismail Mohamed Kamal Ismail, Governor of South Sinai—former head of the Geotechnical Group at the Military Technical College (2010 to 2015), director of the college’s consulting office (2015 to 2018), deputy director (2018 to 2020), director of the Military Technical College (2020 to 2026), and former governor of Aswan before his transfer to South Sinai.
Maj. Gen. Nabil al-Sayed Mohamed Hasballah, Governor of Ismailia—former head of the Armed Forces Operations Authority, commander of the East of the Canal Counterterrorism Forces, commander of the Second Field Army.
Maj. Gen. Amr Mohamed al-Sayed al-Gharib, Governor of Monufia—former army officer, Alexandria director of the Accountability State Authority.
Maj. Gen. Hany Rashad Ali al-Sayed, Governor of Suez—former chief of staff of the Air Defense Corps.
Maj. Gen. Mostafa Selim Amin Abdel Zaher al-Biblawi, Governor of Qena—former officer with the Armed Forces’ Engineering Authority.
GIS:
Maj. Gen. Abdallah Abdel Aziz Abdel Rahman al-Sayed, Governor of Beni Suef—a 1986 graduate of the Military College, who joined the General Intelligence Service in 1989, becoming an aide to the agency’s director in 2023.
MOI:
Alaa Ibrahim Abdel Moaty Ahmed, Governor of Gharbia—former provincial director of Homeland Security (the notorious secret police) in Gharbia, later becoming the deputy director of the agency.
Maj. Gen. Tarek Rashad Mohamed Mahfouz, Governor of Sohag—former Cairo security director.
Maj. Gen. Mohamed Sayed Hassan Alwan, Governor of Assiut—formerly held senior posts within the Homeland Security agency across several governorates, including director of Homeland Security in Assiut and Daqahlia, before serving as deputy director of the agency in Cairo.
Civilian Bureaucrats:
Ahmed Abdallah al-Ansary, Governor of Giza—comes from the medical sector، former Governor of Suhag (2018), Governor of Fayoum (2019 to 2026).
Mohamed Hany Gamal al-Din Ghoneim، Governor of Fayoum—comes from the medical sector, former Governor of Beni Sueif (2019-2026).
Ayman Mohamed Ibrahim Attiya, Governor of Alexandria—engineer and senior consultant from the construction sector.
Hanan Magdy Nour al-Din Mohamed, Governor of New Valley—chemist who ascended the bureaucratic ranks through the Presidency/GIS-run National Training Academy.
Hossam al-Din Fawzi Abdel Fattah Abu Seif, Governor of Damietta—engineer, former deputy governor of Cairo, involved in Sisi’s mega-projects.
Amr Helmy Hassan Lashin, Governor of Aswan—urban planner, previously held senior bureaucratic posts.
Ibrahim Abdel Qader Makki Mahgoub, Governor of Kafr el-Sheikh—engineer from the petrochemical sector.
Hossam al-Din Ahmed Abdel-Fattah Mohamed Ali, Governor of Qalyubia—engineer.
Walid Abdel-Azim Ibrahim al-Barqi, Governor of the Red Sea—engineer.
The following seven governors retained their posts unaffected by the reshuffle:
Maj. Gen. Khaled Megawer, Governor of North Sinai—former director of Military Intelligence Authority.
Maj. Gen. Emad Kadwani, Governor of Minya—former security director of Matrouh.
Maj. Gen. Tarek Marzouk, Governor of Dakahlia—former director of the MOI Pirson Sector.
Ibrahim Saber, Governor of Cairo Governorate—public administrator.
Abdel Motaleb Emara, Governor of Luxor—engineer.
Jacqueline Azer, Governor of Beheira—medical sector.
Hazem el-Ashmouni, Governor of Sharqia—engineer.
Thus, out of 27 governors in total, 14 are from the security sector, while 13 are civilians (including two women).
The Military Grip on Numbers
Last week’s appointment of Maj. Gen. Akram al-Gohary, as acting head of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), once again highlights how one of the state’s most politically sensitive civilian institutions remains firmly under military management.
Founded in 1964, all CAPMAS directors have been army generals. The agency is not a neutral technical body. It produces inflation figures, labor statistics, census data, trade numbers, and poverty indicators—the metrics shaping economic policy, IMF negotiations, and public narratives. Control over CAPMAS, therefore, means control over how social and economic reality is officially measured. For instance, the agency simply stopped publishing its annual report on poverty rates in 2020, since the numbers contradicted the constructed reality of the regime’s propaganda.
Gohary’s career reflects this logic. A 1991 Military Technical College graduate, before moving into CAPMAS leadership, he served as director of the Armed Forces’ Administration of Information Systems, which, since 2021, fell under the umbrella of the upgraded Military Intelligence Authority structure. His predecessor, Maj. Gen. Khairat Barakat was a career infantry officer who previously headed the Armed Forces’ Administration of Officers Affairs and the Administration of Military Records.
Equally telling is Sisi’s reliance on “acting” appointments. Gohary was named for a one-year renewable term under a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette. Barakat himself was first appointed on 14 February 2018 and remained in place through seven consecutive annual renewals, a mechanism that keeps institutional heads permanently dependent on presidential favor.
Air Force in Charge of Bread Now
