Egypt’s President General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi has given increased powers to his military, authorising soldiers to protect state facilities, including power plants, gas pipelines, and oil fields.
The move comes after a deadly attack by militants, which left over 30 soldiers dead in the Sinai peninsula last Friday.
The new decree allows the army to work with the police to protect key buildings and infrastructure for at least 2 years, but critics say the law is too broadly defined and universities could also fall under the military’s purview.
Presidential spokesperson Alaa Youssef told the BBC the decree was aimed at tackling terrorism, not protesters and that it was a limited, proportional response to recent attacks by militants.