The remote Benishangul-Gumuz region in western Ethiopia has quietly become a strategic UAE-backed base training thousands of fighters for Sudan’s RSF militias, with logistics, equipment, and instructors flowing directly from Abu Dhabi.

Al-Estiklal tracks the cyber war between Egypt and the UAE, revealing the Emirati funding of online committees and how Cairo-Abu Dhabi tensions exposed efforts to sabotage Egypt’s revolution.

In a move aimed at reshuffling the executive branch and offering a glimmer of hope to a crisis-weary public, PLC Chairman Rashad al-Alimi issued Republican Decree No. 3 of 2026, forming a new government headed by Shaea al-Zandani, who will also retain the foreign affairs portfolio.

Riyadh is no longer willing to position itself within “Israel’s” camp or play a subordinate role in regional arrangements, instead seeking to act as an independent power able to maneuver and impose its own terms.

In January 2026, Saudi criticism of “Israel” and the UAE-led normalization track sparked a fierce U.S. “pro-Israel” lobby backlash, exposing a widening regional rift.