Houthi Forces Seize Al-Mokha, Threatening Global Trade at Bab al-Mandab Strait
The Houthi movement, Ansar Allah, has taken control of the strategic city of al-Mokha on the Red Sea at the Bab al-Mandab Strait. This escalation in fighting threatens one of the world's most important waterways and has dire implications for global trade.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait is located between Yemen and Djibouti and Eritrea, and closing this corridor would isolate Gulf oil-producing states led by Saudi Arabia from major shipping routes. The port in Al-Mokha is only six kilometers from the international shipping lane that links the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
The fighting has resulted in airstrikes, injuries, and displacement of civilians. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, more than 5,600 households have been displaced across Taiz governorate and southern Al Hodeidah governorate since the escalation in fighting on Thursday. The humanitarian appeal for Yemen requires $2.2 billion and remains just 20 percent funded.