Africa’s biggest military base can hold up to 20,000 soldiers. The infrastructure was inaugurated last Saturday by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi at El-Hammam, near Alexandria.

The base which has numerous tanks, helicopters, anti-aerial defense systems and other war equipment, is named after the country’s first President, Mohamed Neguib. The leader was at the top of Egypt from 1952 to 1954. Protect Egypt against terrorist threats, make boarders with Libya and Sudan safe, protect the huge gas deposits recently discovered in the Mediterranean and insure security for traffic on the Red Sea. These are the goals of the base.

According to the Russian media Sputnik, the base was also built to protect in the near future the nuclear plant which will be built in partnership with Russia.

The same source adds that another base should soon be opened in Egypt, near Sidi Barrani which is located 95km from the Libyan border. This one will also help tackle weapon, drugs and human trafficking in the area, but also fight extremists.