Egypt's Sisi threatens to expel dissidents within state institutions

Egypt's president has warned soldiers, policemen and civil servants that dissent or affiliation with religious or political groups will lead to their expulsion.

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said during a Thursday speech at a military event that the government will crack down on any opposition among its ranks - in a thinly veiled warning against Islamists.

"Anyone who belongs to any political, religious or sectarian movements I am sorry but they have to step aside," Sisi said.

"If we discover anyone like this, we will throw them out - not just soldiers and policemen but anyone in the whole government because they are serving their own interests," he added.

The president said that he was waging a "sacred war" against terrorism and that he was ensuring that the Egyptian government does not collapse.

The statements are the first time the Egyptian leader has acknowledged that there has been a government policy of purging opponents from its institutions.

Sisi led a military coup in 2013 against Egypt's first freely elected leader - the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammad Morsi - amid mass protests against his presidency.

The overthrow unleashed a deadly crackdown on Islamists. More than 800 peaceful protesters were killed in a single day when police dispersed a Cairo sit-in demanding Morsi's reinstatement.

Egyptian courts have since sentenced hundreds of Islamists to death, including Morsi and other senior Muslim Brotherhood leaders.

Rights activists accuse Sisi of running an authoritarian regime that has violently suppressed all opposition and committed human rights violations, including forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions.

After the military took power, 75 judges called for a return to democracy. Since then nearly half of them have been removed from office.

Last month, Sisi issued his eighth executive decree ordering the expulsion of top generals from the General Intelligence Service, bringing his tally of removed officers up to 113.

During Thursday's speech, Sisi also broke down into tears as he heard the mother of a slain soldier pay tribute to her son.