Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi paid a brief "brotherly" visit to Abu Dhabi on Monday. The trip comes amid heightened tensions over the UAE's regional policies, which pit Egypt and Saudi Arabia, on the one hand, against Abu Dhabi and its alliance with Israel and others, on the other.
From Yemen to Sudan and across the Horn of Africa, the three Arab states appear to be on a collision course that could radically alter the political and power landscape.
"These divisions among Arab states are severely undermining the collective Arab stance, particularly when a cohesive, unified Arab strategy is urgently needed to address pressing regional challenges," Egyptian political researcher Islam Mansi told The New Arab.
These same rifts, Mansi added, are fundamentally reshaping the region's political landscape.
Sisi was received at the airport by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, who took him on a tour of the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Masdar City and then treated him to an open-air lunch.
A few minutes before he arrived in the UAE, the Egyptian Presidency said the visit was part of the two leaders' keenness to strengthen bilateral relations across a range of issues and crises of mutual concern.
A turbulent region
The visit came as Egyptian and Saudi national security interests collided with the UAE's policies in Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia, where there is a belief that the Emirates are fuelling fragmentation.
Reports increasingly note an emerging UAE-Israel-Ethiopian alliance.
Cairo and Riyadh have already begun to pursue a counterstrategy through military action, both directly and indirectly.
In Yemen, Saudi Arabia has started pursuing an aggressive military policy to abort the secession of southern Yemen, a move championed by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council.
In Sudan, Egypt—in coordination with Turkey—has reportedly started taking direct military action against the UAE-backed paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which vie for control over the country with the Sudanese Armed Forces.
Egyptian and Saudi interests also align in Somalia, where the country's fragmentation via Somaliland in the Horn of Africa threatens the interests of Red Sea littoral states.
In his meeting with bin Zayed, Sisi described relations with the UAE as a "cornerstone" of Arab national security and regional stability, according to a statement by the Egyptian Presidency.
"There was emphasis [during the meeting] on the importance of Arab solidarity in this critical phase," the Egyptian Presidency's statement said.
"The two presidents underscored the importance of settling regional crises peacefully, in ways that preserve the unity of regional states and avoid escalation whose consequences will harm everybody," it added.
Containment
Sisi's meeting with bin Zayed occurs a day after the Egyptian leader met Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Cairo.
At a press briefing following the meeting, Sisi said his country would continue to support Somalia's unity and would not approve measures that threaten it, including recognition of the independence of any Somali territories.
His remarks came almost a month and a half after Israel recognised the independence of the breakaway Somali region of Somaliland.
Located right on the southern coast of the Gulf of Aden, Somaliland can turn into a national security threat for both Egypt and Saudi Arabia, especially if it becomes a hub of Israeli and Ethiopian naval activities, experts said.
The visit also came two days after Sisi met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Cairo.
It also follows a series of consultations by the Egyptian foreign minister with a host of regional, African and international peers, including the Saudi foreign minister.
The same visit raises speculation about whether Egypt can succeed in containing Abu Dhabi and swaying it away from aligning with rival regional forces.
Saudi political analyst Omar Seif argued that Egypt's significant regional influence positions it well to shape Abu Dhabi's foreign policy decisions, particularly in contested areas of the Middle East and the Horn of Africa.
"Cairo and Abu Dhabi remain long-standing strategic allies with deep-rooted ties," Seif told TNA. "There's coordination between the two capitals across a wide range of regional and international files."
He expressed deep concern over the UAE's continued backing of what he described as "splintering militias" in Yemen, Sudan, and Somalia, as part of a strategy to secure control over critical maritime corridors in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
"Such persistent support risks destabilising the entire region," Seif warned, adding that it undermines broader Arab unity.
Saudi Arabia seems to be keen on this containment. On January 26, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan described ties with the UAE as both "vital" and "important" for regional stability and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
He also expressed Riyadh's desire for "strong and positive" relations, emphasising, however, that improved ties with the UAE depended on Abu Dhabi's complete withdrawal from involvement in Yemen.
Balancing act
Egypt's alignment with Saudi Arabia against the UAE carries risks.
Relations between Abu Dhabi and Cairo have been growing steadily over the past decade, with the UAE becoming a major investor in the Egyptian economy.
With around $60 billion in accumulated investments, it is the largest foreign investor in Egypt, providing the Egyptian treasury with a critical supply of foreign currency—a lifeline for the economy at a difficult time when this economy continues to suffer the lingering effects of the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
Analysts in Cairo argue that Egypt cannot stand idly by while its national interests and security are being jeopardised: in southern Yemen, which overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and consequently the southern entrance of the Red Sea; in Sudan, long viewed as Egypt's backyard and an integral part of Egyptian and Red Sea security; and Somalia which is equally important for the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
This is why Cairo has to protect its national security interests, while at the same time preserving economic and investment ties with the UAE, they added.
Mansi explained that Egypt must carefully navigate a delicate balance, safeguarding its national interests while preserving its strong ties with both Abu Dhabi and Riyadh.
"In reality, UAE investments have grown so substantial that they now form a cornerstone of the Egyptian economy," he added.