The Sudanese army will continue its role in the Saudi-led Arab Coalition fighting alongside pro-government forces in Yemen against a brutal coup waged by Iran-backed militias. In a presidential statement, Sudan’s authorities reaffirmed that the economic struggles at home will not affect the army forces’ participation. The statement added that contributing to the fight against a coup aimed to destroy Yemen is a principled decision, especially that Houthi militias repeatedly threatened Makkah, one of Islam’s holiest sites. This came after a round of talks held by President Omar al-Bashir with Saudi Defense Undersecretary Lieutenant General Mohammed bin Abdullah al-Alayeesh in Khartoum. According to the Sudanese presidency, the Saudi official arrived in the country on a short, surprising and unannounced visit to explain developments concerning the operational position of forces partaking in the military initiative ‘Decisive Storm.’ The Sudanese president further pointed to Sudan’s declared position to “defend the land of the Two Holy Mosques’’. The Saudi military official also thanked the Sudan for its sincere participation in the Arab Coalition. Code-named Operation Decisive Storm, the intervention consists of military missions to counter advances made by Iran-aligned Houthis and later saw the deployment of ground forces into Yemen. Alayeesh briefed Bashir on military developments in the war waged by the Saudi-led alliance against the Houthi rebels in Yemen. In a statement released after the meeting, Bashir reassured the visiting Saudi official that the difficult economic situation would not dissuade Sudan from playing its role in restoring legitimacy in Yemen. Earlier this month, State Defense Minister Ali Mohamed Salim said his ministry was evaluating pros and cons of the participation in the Yemen war in order to decide on it soon. The Sudanese army has been participating in the Saudi-led military coalition since 2015 in a regional effort to back the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after he was ousted from the capital Sanaa by Iran-backed Houthi coupists.