Yemen, Egypt abandons the Saudi-led Coalition

(To Giampiero Venturi)
21/10/16

It is not yet official, but diplomatic rumors announce a unilateral withdrawal of Egypt from the military campaign in Yemen, which sees Cairo alongside Saudi Arabia.

Egyptian President Al Sisi was one of the initial sponsors of the expedition aimed at supporting President Hadi's Sunni militias and fighting the Shiite onset of Houthi and the pro Saleh militia. However, the position of Egypt has evolved over time, in the light of a series of diplomatic settlements.

First of all, a rapprochement between Cairo and Iran has been recorded, a process developed over the years and then developed in the connection of diplomatic relations in the 2012.

Egypt, which for years had been the only Arab country not to have an embassy in Tehran, has taken on increasingly proactive positions towards Iran, to the point of sharing support for Moscow's intervention in Syria.

Egypt's vote in the Security Council against the French resolution to stop the Russian air raids on Aleppo has attracted the attention of international observers on Cairo. Iran, for its part, has re-launched by proposing the entry of Egypt as interlocutor in the peace talks for the Syrian crisis in Lausanne by voice of the foreign minister Zarif.

The aforementioned events are linked to diplomatic complications with Saudi Arabia which decided to block the oil supply agreement in Cairo for October, valued at 700.000 tons per month. The dispute continued with regard to the million Egyptian workers present in Arabia, so Cairo calls for a moratorium on taxes.

Egypt, criticized by the Gulf countries for never sending land forces to Yemen, seems increasingly out of line with Saudi Arabia and the West and with the (unofficial) withdrawal of its air forces, it seems to send a clear message on its repositioning. Despite the facade alliance with Riad, there is even talk of military supplies of the Egyptian navy to the rebel forces Houthi.

The political and military consequences on the war in Yemen are all to be seen (the UAE had already officially withdrawn in June 2016). The wake on regional and global balances could be macroscopic.

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(photo: Al-Quwwāt Al-Barriyya Al-Miṣriyya)