Yemen Says Securing Bab el-Mandeb Strait Is a Shared Global Responsibility

A senior official from Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council has said that securing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's most strategically important maritime corridors, is a responsibility that must be shared between regional states and the wider international community.

The council's vice chief called on the international community to move toward what he described as a "strategic partnership" with Yemen's internationally recognized government, arguing that stronger cooperation would help strengthen security and stability in the region.

The official said Yemen's government is capable of addressing the security threat posed by the Houthi movement, which has repeatedly targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in recent years, disrupting global trade routes that connect the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean.

The strait, which sits between Yemen, Djibouti and Eritrea, is used by a significant share of the world's shipping traffic, including vessels carrying oil, gas and other goods between Europe, Asia and Africa. Instability along the waterway has previously prompted international naval deployments aimed at protecting commercial shipping.

Yemen has been engaged in a prolonged internal conflict, with the Houthi movement controlling large parts of the country's north while the internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, holds other regions including areas in the south. The Presidential Leadership Council was formed to represent the internationally recognized government and has repeatedly sought greater international backing for its efforts against the Houthis.

The call for a stronger partnership comes as international attention on Red Sea security has remained elevated, with shipping companies and governments monitoring the corridor closely given its importance to global supply chains. Officials from Yemen's government have periodically appealed to international partners for support in confronting the Houthis and stabilizing the wider region.