Shoring Up The Red Sea: Why The Next Crisis May Start In The Horn Of Africa – Analysis

Key Takeaways:
Houthi attacks and growing instability in the Horn of Africa—particularly the merging of Sudan’s civil war with Ethiopia-Eritrea tensions and Somalia’s internal disputes—are creating new threats to Red Sea navigation and energy flows through Bab el-Mandeb.
Competing Middle Eastern powers (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Turkey, and Israel) are fueling local conflicts in Sudan, Ethiopia-Eritrea, and northern Somalia, raising the risk of a broader regional confrontation that could disrupt one of the world’s key maritime corridors.
Europe faces direct economic and security risks from further Red Sea disruptions and should expand the mandates of its naval missions, engage more actively with northern Somali actors, and press Middle Eastern powers for restraint to prevent the crisis from escalating.






