Egypt's Sisi declares his presidency will end in 2030
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has declared that his presidential term will end in 2030 and that the question of his departure from office is now "settled and will not be discussed".
Sisi, 71, said on Saturday during a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy that "the Egyptian constitution would not be touched". He is currently serving a six-year term.
"The year 2030 will mark the end of my presidential term. This matter is completely settled," Sisi said.
"I will not leave the Egyptian state until it is brimming with its own people capable of shouldering responsibility."
The president added that the military academy was creating a new generation of leaders.
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Sisi came to power in 2013 after leading a military coup that deposed Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi.
Rights groups estimate that over 60,000 prisoners of conscience are held in Egyptian jails, including more than 1,000 women.
Many prisoners, including former President Morsi and several opposition figures, have died as a result of medical neglect and other inhumane prison conditions, according to rights groups.
Sisi's latest comments come at a turbulent time in the region.
Last week, Egypt’s foreign minister reaffirmed the country's support for Saudi Arabia in its conflict with Yemen's Houthis, saying that "Gulf security is integral to Egypt’s national security and our solidarity with Saudi Arabia."
Egypt has also been involved in military conflict with its neighbours. Last week, an Egyptian air strike killed 72 civilian workers at a gold mine on the Sudan-Egypt border.
Egypt backs the Sudanese Armed Forces in its war against the UAE-backed paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
Sisi's government is also at loggerheads with Ethiopia, which it sees as a potential naval rival in the Red Sea and with which it has a long-standing dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Egypt recently hosted a conference with representatives from Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea to discuss coordinating military and intelligence efforts should conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea escalate.
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