Saudi Arabia replaces crown prince in sweeping shake-up

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud has announced a sweeping shake-up that paves the way for a new generation of rulers in the world's biggest oil exporter.

King Salman replaced crown prince Prince Muqrin, his half-brother, with Mohammed bin Nayef al-Saud, the king's nephew who was previously deputy crown prince. The king's son, Mohammed bin Salman, was named deputy crown prince, elevating the youthful defence minister and royal court chief to second in line to the throne.

The king took power when his half-brother Abdullah died in January at a challenging time for the kingdom, with oil prices at record lows and rising Islamist extremism in the region.

The sweeping reshuffle includes some rapid rises - and falls. The ailing King Abdullah chose Muqrin as second in line to the throne after Salman in March last year. Diplomats had previously speculated that Muqrin's tenure would prove brief, but few foresaw such a swift defenestration to make way for other emerging forces within the family.

Mohammed bin Nayef's elevation to the post of crown prince makes him the first grandson of Ibn Saud to hold the position, a historic shift towards the new generation of princes at the next regal succession.

Mohammed bin Salman, defence minister and the king's favourite son, has been elevated to the post of deputy crown prince, making him the leading contender to take the throne after Mohammed bin Nayef.

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Saudi Arabia last week announced the end of a month-long air campaign against Yemen, saying it was moving towards a political track. But the kingdom says it will continue to use its air power to check the advance of Houthi rebels and forces loyal to the former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The king also replaced ailing foreign minister Saud al-Faisal, the face of Saudi foreign policy over the past four decades, with Adel al-Jubair, the country's ambassador to the US.

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As well as regional tensions over separate conflicts raging in Yemen, Syria, Iraq and Libya, Riyadh is facing increasing domestic risks, including a heightened threat of terrorism inspired by militant group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, known as Isis.

On Tuesday, the interior ministry announced the arrest of 93 terror suspects, including 61 Saudi nationals accused of belonging to Isis. The ministry said it had foiled planned operations including a suicide bombing against the US embassy. The oil-rich kingdom is also grappling with the slide in oil prices, which are set to leave the country in fiscal deficit this year.

In other appointments, Adel Faqih was promoted from the labour ministry, where he is credited with introducing important reforms aimed at boosting the employment of nationals, to the post of economy and planning minister. Khalid al-Falih, chief executive of state oil company Aramco, was named health minster and Aramco chairman.

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