CAIRO — Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has appointed members of the Muslim Brotherhood as provincial governors in an attempt to rid state bodies of members of the former regime, state media reported on Wednesday. In the first appointment of new governors since a popular uprising overthrew Hosni Mubarak, Morsi appointed 10 new governors, half of whom are Islamists. The move could raise fears among some segments of society of an extension of the Islamists' reach since the uprising that saw Islamist movements thrust to the forefront of politics after being banned for decades. Morsi, who was himself a long-time senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood until his election in June, appointed five members of the group as governors of Cairo, the Nile Delta provinces of Kafr El-Sheikh and Menufiya and the central provinces of Minya and Assiut. Osama Kamal, a prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood, former head of Banha University and deputy of the engineers' syndicate, has become the new Cairo governor, a member of the Brotherhood said. Morsi named Abdelfatah Harhur, a former military police general, to govern the lawless North Sinai region, where militants have flourished. A military general was also appointed in the Red Sea governorate and a former police general to Suez province. Meanhwile, Egypt's military is deploying light armored vehicles in Sinai to replace some heavy tanks whose presence at the border area had raised concerns in Israel, security sources said Tuesday. A source said last week the army had begun withdrawing some of the tanks, after they had been deployed as part of an operation against militants who attacked and killed 16 border guards on Aug. 5. Disorder has spread in Sinai since former president Hosni Mubarak's overthrow last year. Analysts say Islamists with possible links to Al-Qaeda have gained a foothold, which has alarmed Israel. The unrest has occurred mainly in North Sinai, where many people have guns and where Bedouin tribes have long complained of neglect by central government. They say they have seen no benefits from the expanding Sinai tourist resorts. Hundreds of troops, along with tanks, armored vehicles and helicopters were sent to the area in a joint operation with police to raid militant hideouts, arrest suspects and seize weapons, including rockets and other arms, rife in the area. — Agencies
