Recent developments in Yemen are revealing deeper fractures within the Middle East’s alliance system, particularly within the Sunni camp, while also exposing how the “Muslim Brotherhood threat” narrative is being redeployed to justify shifting geopolitical interests.

The Muslim Brotherhood, Saudi Arabia, and the Yemen exception

A recent statement published by a Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated platform, said the group strongly condemned Emirati actions, not only in Yemen but also in Somalia, Sudan, and Libya, accusing Abu Dhabi of fuelling separatist tendencies and undermining Arab and Muslim unity.

This position reflects a broader and long-standing anomaly in intra-Sunni politics. While Saudi Arabia and the UAE have largely coordinated their opposition to the Brotherhood across the region, Yemen has remained an exception. Yemen’s Islah party, widely regarded as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, has aligned itself with Saudi Arabia for years, seeing Riyadh as a bulwark against both the Houthis and Emirati-backed southern separatism.

This alignment was reinforced yet again in a joint statement released just days ago by several Yemeni political groups, including Islah, which unequivocally supported Saudi Arabia while sharply denouncing any attempt to separatism.

Securitising the Brotherhood: From “terrorism” to a new Meta-narrative

In response, Emirati media and affiliated digital platforms have revived a familiar accusation: branding Saudi-aligned Yemeni factions as “Brotherhood........

© Middle East Monitor