Egypt’s parliament is holding sessions to discuss authorizing the deployment of forces to support Saudi Arabia against the Houthis. The parliament has apparently been called in to discuss this in order to show that the government has a broad mandate. If such a mandate is not achieved, then the government can point to parliament as a reason for its hesitancy.
Egypt has been a close partner of Saudi Arabia for years. Egypt’s president, Abdul Fattah El-Sisi, has indicated that Egypt would support Saudi Arabia.
This comes amid continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. The attacks have killed and wounded numerous people. Six people were injured overnight, Arab News in Saudi Arabia said.
According to Egypt’s Al-Ahram state media, “Egypt’s parliament sessions on authorizing El-Sisi to send forces to Saudi Arabia [will] last three days,” an MP said.
The report quoted MP Mostafa Bakry saying “that parliamentary sessions to discuss authorizing President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to send military forces to Saudi Arabia would continue for three days.”
Egypt's National Defense Council pledged all possible support for Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s government has praised Egypt for being willing to support Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Egypt’s National Defense Council pledged all necessary, possible support for Saudi Arabia.
El-Sisi called for an emergency parliamentary session to authorize action to protect Saudi Arabia if requested. “Bakry indicated that the House of Representatives’ sessions, which began on Sunday afternoon, would continue for two more days because a large number of members have requested to speak.”
Sisi’s move matters because it comes amid recent comments in which he tried to reduce tensions with Israel and said he would not stay in office past 2030. He came to power in 2013, after the military removed Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi following a wave of protests. Morsi was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Al-Ahram noted that a vote on authorizing the president to send military forces to Saudi Arabia is expected on Tuesday. According to the social media X/Twitter account Egypt Intel Observer, “three major pro-government parties have backed the proposed deployment of Egyptian troops to KSA on a defensive mission. Together, they hold 392 of the 596 seats in Egypt’s Parliament, just six short of the 398 votes needed to authorize the deployment.”
Egypt’s House of Representatives convened in plenary session on Sunday at El-Sisi's request. Al-Ahram noted that “earlier on Sunday, Egypt’s National Defense Council pledged to provide all necessary and possible support to Saudi Arabia in defending its borders amid escalating attacks against the kingdom, which it described as unacceptable. The council also said Egypt would continue efforts to contain the escalation and pursue political solutions to ensure security and stability across the region.”
Riyadh backing an opportunity for Egpyt
Egypt has many reasons to back Riyadh. It will give Egyptian forces valuable experience working with other countries, potentially including US Central Command. It will also help increase ties with Saudi Arabia and potentially with Pakistan and Turkey. In addition, it could weaken the Houthis.
Egypt also cares about stability in the Horn of Africa. It is concerned about the conflict in Sudan and Ethiopia. Weakening the Houthis could give Egypt a reason to play a greater role in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa.
Al-Ahram noted that “on Thursday, El-Sisi said attacks on Saudi Arabia affected Egyptian and Arab national security. He stressed that Egypt would not accept any infringement on the kingdom’s security or borders, or any threats to Red Sea security and international maritime routes. Egypt and Iran discussed regional de-escalation efforts in Baghdad on Saturday, including the need to halt attacks against Saudi Arabia.”