Egypt says it shares ‘identical’ views with Saudi Arabia on Yemen, Sudan

Comments come amid widening differences between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, once close partners.Published On 5 Jan 2026Egypt says it’s aligned with Saudi Arabia on the conflicts in Yemen and Sudan at a time of heightened regional instability and a growing rivalry with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).During talks in Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud stressed on Monday their countries’ “identical” positions on “reaching peaceful solutions to the region’s crises”, an Egyptian presidency statement said.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Yemen’s separatist STC calls for independence vote as fighting intensifieslist 2 of 4Yemen’s separatist STC welcomes Saudi Arabia’s offer for dialoguelist 3 of 4Saudi-backed government forces retake multiple cities in southern Yemenlist 4 of 4The Yemeni crisis: More complexity and many repercussionsend of listSolutions must “preserve the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of states”, it said, singling out Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, and the Gaza Strip.The meeting comes against a backdrop of widening differences between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, once close partners in regional politics.In Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have long supported rival factions within the fragmented, internationally recognised government, which is largely bound by opposition to the Iran-backed Houthis.Tensions escalated in December when the UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) captured two strategic provinces, angering Riyadh.‍A ‍delegation led by ⁠STC leader ​Aidarous al-Zubaidi ‍will travel to Saudi Arabia, two ‍unnamed sources told ⁠Reuters news agency on Monday. The visit comes days after the STC ​welcomed ‌a call for dialogue by Saudi Arabia to ‌end the ‌recent military ⁠escalation.El-Sisi welcomed Saudi Arabia’s proposal to host an “inclusive conference” for southern Yemeni groups, while Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty called for de-escalation and a Yemeni-led political settlement.Regional sensitivitiesSudan is another point of friction, where Egypt and Saudi Arabia back the country’s de facto leader while the UAE has been accused of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).