A strategic choke point- Bab el Mandeb

Subject : IR

Section: Places in news

Context: Houthi attacks on tankers passing through the narrow Strait

More about the news:

The Houthis, a Shia militia in Yemen backed by Iran, initially declared war on Israel during the Israel-Hamas conflict.
They shifted tactics, targeting ships in the Red Sea, particularly around the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, disrupting global shipping and leading to increased security concerns and rerouted traffic.

Who are the Houthis:

The Houthis are a large Zaidi Shia clan that began a movement against the dictatorship of Ali Abdullah Saleh in the 1990s.
Today, they are a faction in the bloody civil war that has raged in Yemen since 2014.
The Houthis are backed by Iran and control territory in the west and northwest of Yemen, including the capital Sana’a.
They are fighting against the Sunni-led internationally recognised Yemeni government, backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Some facts about Bab el Mandeb

It is a strait that connects the Red Sea (northwest) with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean (southeast).
It is located between Arabia (northeast) and Africa (southwest).
It is an important strategic connection in the marine commerce route connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
It is one of the world’s most important seaborne commodity shipping routes, primarily for crude oil and petroleum.
Yemen borders it on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea border it on the African coast.

Some facts about the Red Sea:

The Red Sea (Erythraean Sea) is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia.
The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden.
To the north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez (leading to the Suez Canal).
The sea is underlain by the Red Sea Rift which is part of the Great Rift Valley.
The six countries bordering the Red Sea are: Saudi Arabia, Yemen , Egypt , Sudan , Eritrea , Djibouti
Islands include the Dahlak Archipelago, the Farasan Islands, and Zubair Archipelago.
Key ports of the Red Seaare Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Port Sudan (Sudan), Djibouti Port (Djibouti), Aqaba Port (Jordan).
Bab el Mandeb Strait: Located at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, connecting it to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Strait of Tiran: Situated at the northern end of the Red Sea, separating the Sinai Peninsula from the Saudi Arabian coastline and providing access to the Gulf of Aqaba.