a government reshuffle in egypt, eight ministers are replaced including the interior minister. ♪ hello, you are watching al jazeera, live from our headquarters in doha. up in flames escalating violence forces 11 of libya's oil fields to be shut down as rival governments get set for peace talks. south sudan's rival leaders miss a deadline for a peace deal. and secret surveillance allegations u.s. police are collecting data from phones around the globe.

♪ egypt's interior minister mohammed ibrahim has been sacked as part of a government official, he is being replaced by magdy abdel-ghafar. omar has the details. >> reporter: it is the first cabinet cabinet reshuffle under president al-sisi. eight ministers have been sacked including the ministers of tourism and culture, but the most important was the sacking of general mohammed ibrahim. he was a long-term security officer under toppled president mubarak. he was appointed in 2012 under

egypt's first elected civilian president, mohammed morsi. supporters of morsi accuse the minister of collaborating with the military to orchestrate the coup against the president. ibrahim lead the violent crackdown on the muslim brotherhood and their support base. between 400 to 800 people were killed in cairo when security forces dispersed the protest camps in august 2013. human rights watch urged an investigation into crimes against humanity be carried out against egyptian officials including general ibrahim. they have been accused of carrying out torture and human rights abuse in an attempt to crackdown on decent. ibrahim was featured in a number of audio leaks in which he

helped the mill stair hide the where abouts of detained president morsi and obstructing justice. he was given the green light to his officers to use force against protesters. he also came to the spotlight after a stampede in february which lead to the death of at least 19 fans of a football club. there was an outcry to sack him accusing him for inciting violence. there have been several attacks across egypt, with plenty of acquisitions, but no clear indication of who is behind the attacks. they have also failed to stop anti-coup protests which have been going on for more than a year and a half. >> a resident fellow at city university in new york explains

why ibrahim's removal is significant. >> the fact that he serves under two governments within two regimes made him controversial. he served the government of mohammed morsi that was toppled on july 3rd, yet he carried on serving the -- the second government, and the -- the second regime the other regime. so i guess a lot of reasons that -- that made that man a controversial person and made him look as if he is a man of all seasons. i believe that the main objective of such reshuffle especially when it comes to the interior minister is to calm down the dissatisfied sentiments of the society and the public who are angry and frustrated of the eroding security internally and also very angry and aggravated because of the

massive and flagrant violations of human rights under that minister. it says that the situation in egypt is getting more and more critical because if it was not that critical no sane person would have made such reshuffle just a few days before the -- that very important conference to rehabilitate the egyptian economy. in others news libya's u.n. recognized parliament in tobruk has announced its air force will halt strikes for three days to support peace talks. let's go love to our correspondent in rabat for us. what has been the reaction to the internationally recognized government saying it will halt its air strikes? and when will the peace talks begin? >> reporter: well, they have just started, so as we speak,

members of the internationally recognized government of tobruk and the government of tripoli with the united nations special representative, are converging in this building that you can see behind me trying to work out a political settlement based on forming a national unity government declaring a ceasefire across libya, and drafting a new constitution. i was talking to members of both delegations. the tripoli-based government says that it welcomes the decision by the tobruk government to hold air strikes in libya for three days, but they remain cautious, because they say today forces loyal to general hafta launched air strikes in the capitol tripoli. so the mistrust continues. >> so the talks have now started in rabat, you say, hashem ahelbarra, where are they going to be discussing exactly?

>> reporter: well the international community has been trying to come up with a deal in libya. they started talks in january, but there was a problem with representation. some of the delegations say they were not fully mandated. others accuse the other side of trying to undermine the political process. now as we speak both delegates say they are full mandates and they are coming for a permanent settlement. so they are going to listen to each other. the format is going to be this there will be two separate rooms, the tripoli government in one room, and the tobruk government in the other. top on the agenda is a national unity government. if they agree on that they will appoint a prime minister with two deputies, and then start talking about the security arrangement, like disbanding militias and start talking about the drafting of a new

constitution. it's an uphill climb, but the international community made it clear they want to see some break through here in rabat. >> hashem ahelbarra in the moroccan capitol, thank you hashem. now the escalating violence in libya has now forced the country's national oil company to shut down production at 11 oil fields. it means a major hit to the economy as our correspondent reports. >> reporter: an attack on the oil facility last month has left it inoperable. most of these oil fields targeted in recent weeks, were targeted by the islamic state of iraq and the levant. they destroyed equipment on wednesday. on monday an oil field and pipeline came under attack. and these facilities were also hit last month, at least 14 people were killed. in a country plagued by war in recent years, libya's oil

industry is a prime target. production has fallen from 1.6 million barrels a day before the revolution that overthrew gadhafi to less than 300,000 barrels a day. there have been so many attacks that libya's national oil corporation says it won't be fulfilling it contract. libya's two rival governments are still in a power struggle. a delegation from one of them the tripoli government was at this airport when it was targeted in an air strike. >> translator: we are here at the airport. as we were going to rabat for the national dialogue meeting, unknown war planes carried out air strikes, and as you can see behind me, there are plumes of smoke. this is another attempt to sabotage the effort of the libyan government. >> reporter: the airport was hit by forces loyal to the

internationally recognized tobruk government. talks are resuming in morocco, but expectations of a solution are low. >> translator: we have asked for dialogues since the beginning. dialogue based on fixed foundations, recognizing the legitimacy of the parliament is a red line. we can't go back to the beginning of the outdated national conference. >> reporter: in the meantime the country's oil belt is going up in smoke. the u.n. special envoy to to -- syria has suggested that his plan to help aleppo is faltering. now on the ground in aleppo syrian government planes reportedly dropped a barrel bomb killing at least 20 people. activists say the bombing hit a district in the east of the city. control of aleppo is split between rebel groups and proassad forces who fought for

control of syria's second city for more than two years now. in iraq government forces have retaken villages on the out skirts of tikrit but have yet to launch an assault on isil fighters inside the city. the aim is to drive isil out of tikrit and the surrounding province. jane arraf reports. >> reporter: this is near the base of operations for iraq's shia ma i will shas on the eastern front of the battle for tikrit. the key players are iranian backed hezbollah. at a command center nearby interior minister a leader of the core militia confers with the man given control of the hezbollah brigades. they have combined with iraqi federal police special forces and army units.

for the biggest offensive since isil ceased parts of iraq last june. the troops are backed by iraqi air strikes, but it has been a slow advance to tikrit. this is a trip wire for a roadside bomb laid by isil. an explosives team detonates this one, one of hundreds they have found along the road. 30 kilometerings southeast of tikrit iraqi security forces make their way across abandoned fields. >> translator: we have reached 50 kilometers in depth through theater rain by the help of god we have expelled frilz more than 15 villages. as you can see behind me it's farmland and desert we have expelled isil from their villages. >> reporter: houses and schools are empty here. most civilians fled months ago. they have left their crops in the fields. security forces here too have

detonated more than 200 roadside bombs, sometimes by shooting at them. isil built sand berms to block an advance by security forces. the bulldozers are dismantling them. it has been four days since the start of the offensive, and fighters are still clearing villages along the way to tikrit. the main battle won't begin until troops reach the city. still ahead on al jazeera, north korea calls an attack on the u.s. ambassador to south korea a deserved punishment. plus opposition strikes in bangladesh put pressure on medical services. stay with us. we're back after the break. ♪

>> former klansman david duke. >> america has been taken over. >> defending his controversial past. >> i did what i thought was right. >> that was then... what about now? >> i believe the zionists control the country. >> "talk to al jazeera".

only on al jazeera america. ♪ welcome back. we want to take you now live to the united nations where the turkish prime minister is speaking to reporters after a meeting with the u.n. chief ban ki-moon. let's listen in a little bit to what he has to say. >> turkey is the only country neighbor to russia and ukraine at the same time and have access to crimea. for us a peaceful solution in ukraine is a must for stability and peace around lexy and territorial integrity of ukraine is basic principle for us and a solution should be found to diplomatic negotiations rather

than increasing tension in ukraine. in libya, the territorial integrity of libya is important. we invite both governments from tobruk and from tripoli to turkey. we're supporting the efforts for national reconciliation and if there is any new reconciliation attempt by u.n. we will give turkey's support. libya, in fact has a big chance if they -- there is a reconciliation process, because of natural resources and the [ inaudible ] of society which doesn't have much difference of ethical or sectarian difference like in syria or iraq. cyprus has been our common agenda for last half a century. again, we discussed italy and

cyprus cyprus. again, turkish position was clear. in 2004 we supported the plan at that time and i suggested to mr. binky moon that we now a ban ki-moon plan before the end of his term to end this long-surviving crisis. we ask cyprus to come to negotiation table and we need to have an international meeting and conference as early as possible, like what we did in 2004. many things have been discussed on cyprus question instead of provoking the atmosphere it is better to come around the table and discuss. in this case again, we support mr. addes efforts as special

envoy. he is doing a good job, and we support his efforts, and we will do everything possible for a sustainable peace in cyprus. on other issues like g-20 presence of turkey we briefed mr. moon on turkish priorities on g-20 and he raised -- he invited us for a meeting of of -- [ inaudible ] meeting of [ inaudible ] for -- to fight against intolerance and extremism, by religious leaders. there will be high level participation from turkey. we will support any conference meeting, forum, any process for peace and stability as well as tolerance and coexistence of

different religious and cultural groups. extremism is a threat for all of us, and what we need today in the world is mutual respect and joint effort for the next generation, who will be living in a much more diversified atmosphere. and turkey will be hosting the world summit next year. we again, told -- have spoken on preparations of the world humanitarian summit. that will be a great honor for turkey. it shall be the first-ever conference on humanitarian issues, and turkey has been supporting humanitarian operations of u.n. everywhere in the world, and turkey is one of the leading donor country now. we also discussed the situation in gaza. the u.n. secretary general asked

our assistance and we have promised to do everything possible for the people of gaza. and for the resolving of the palestinian position. turkey's position has been clear, palestinian state should be recognized and there should be a two-state solution. palestinians should have the same rights like other nations on their own soil land and turkey will be always working for welfare and dignity of palestinian people. these are basically the issues we have shared and we decided to meet again as early as possible, and i invited him for the 100th anniversary commemoration of [ inaudible ] in turkey in april, and in coming months i'm sure there will be other opportunities to meet each other and discuss these issues in the future.

thank you. >> ladies and gentlemen, we will try to receive six questions. if any turkish [ inaudible ] happens, you have the earphones, and you can have the translation. and the first question please. >> reporter: thank you very much. thank you very much mr. prime minister, on behalf of the u.n. correspondent association for your time and for this press conference. my question is about turkey's fight against daesh and international terrorism, and how this effects the turkish economy. some especially in western countries, some think that turkey is not doing enough. do you think the west or generally the world is doing enough to fight international terrorism, and can you also tell us how this crisis has affected turkish economy? thing you very much. >> uh-huh.

those who are saying turkey is not doing enough regarding syrian crisis or presence of daesh they are misleading and they have a [ inaudible ] perception. no country has been affected more than turkey because of syrian crisis. we have too many refugees, and in some cities syrians are more than the original inhabitants of turkish citizens. turkish received in three days 200,000 refugees from kobani. this is more than the total refugees being taken by all european countries in the last three years. in all statistics you can see how turkey has contributed to the improvement of humanitarian situation on the ground. and also our position regarding fighting against international terrorism has been very clear. turkey is a country which suffered from terrorism in the

past, and therefore, turkey was the first country declaring daesh as a terrorist organization in october 2013. and turkey was the first country attacking to daesh convoy when they approached our border in november of 2013. we never tolerated the presence of any terrorist organization on -- close to our borders, but everybody must understand 1,295 kilometer long border syria and iraq. today there is no [ inaudible ] and turkey is facing big challenges. sitting in new york or other cities and capitols and judging on the situation in turkey syrian or turkey border is easy. more difficult is that to understand the situation. we expect from international community to do more.

regarding humanitarian crisis, we expect the international community to do more to resolve the syrian crisis. and we expect all of those who are concerned on international -- on terrorism, more cooperation, more intelligence cooperation. turkey is receiving 35 million tourists every year. so we need intelligence report or intelligence information from the countries who are -- who have some mobility of these groups in order to prevent them to come in turkey or in order to deport them. and last year we have -- deported around 2,000 person from turkey and around 10,000 were not allowed to come in turkey. we -- when we receive intelligence report from our allies and other nations, it is

easy to act together. that's what we need and we expect. more cooperation and more empathy to understand the difficulties we are facing as a neighboring country to one of the most difficult crisis area in syria. >> reporter: prime minister in the last couple of hours, the special envoy has been making comments sounding pretty down beat about his prospects. he says fighting has seriously intensifyied around aleppo. if his plan is failing, what is plan b? >> really this is a very important and critical question. unfortunately international community didn't have a plan a until now. forget plan b. we had some proposals, but the international community didn't have a clear strategy regarding

the syrian crisis didn't have a clear response and reaction to war crimes committed by the regime, when the regime has used chemical weapons against civilians, and used [ inaudible ] to areas including aleppo. 300,000 people being killed. what is plan a? forget plan b. the special envoy tried to do his best for the situation in aleppo. but syrian regime who has been spoiled by the -- by an approach that -- as if they are now legitimate because of their fighting against daesh, now they are intensifying their air strikes against aleppo which may create a new flow of refugees. we should not allow regime to exploit the presence of daesh and continue to attack against

aleppo. international community and all countries should fight against daesh, but fighting against daesh does not mean legitimizing a brutal regime attacking civilians in aleppo. aleppo is a neighboring city to turkey. if these attacks continue we have real concern that there may be hundreds of thousands of refugees approaching to turkey. of course that is u.n. responsibility to stop these type of refugee flows, and to stop war crimes against people of aleppo and people of syria in general. okay. you have been listening in to the turkish prime minister who is speaking to reporters at the united states there after meeting with the u.n. chief, ban ki-moon. he spoke about a number of issues about libya, cyprus the palestinian issue. on syria, he said the

international community should fight against isil but that that did not mean that it should legit ma tiez the regime of assad, the syrian president. we'll bring you more highlights from this press conference on al jazeera in half an hour when we speak to james bayes rival leaders in south sudan have been unable to reach a peace deal. let's get an update from catherine soy who joins us on the line. what are you hearing catherine? >> reporter: let me just start by saying that this comes as no surprise. the warring parties came to the talks with very hard line positions. we're hearing that they seem to have agreed on nothing. there is still a lot of contention we're hearing on power sharing, the security

arrangement, especially in juba who will control juba. who will provide security. there are two armies -- there are two armies. will they remain separated or be reintegrated immediately. they also disagree on the composition of transitional parliament as well. the special envoy has said that they are at a dead lock basically. so yet another deadline has come. and it will be interesting to see what happens now. will threatened sanctions be enforced. will they involve any african union, will there be another extension. everything is still up in the air. >> so everything up in the air. okay. catherine thank you for that update on the talks on south