Bab-el-Mandeb

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}} {{short description|Strait between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti in the Horn of Africa}} {{redirect|Gate of Grief|the album by White Ring|Gate of Grief (album){{!}}''Gate of Grief'' (album)}} {{Infobox body of water | name = Bab-el-Mandeb | image = Bab-el-Mandeb, outer space.jpg | caption = Bab-el-Mandeb as seen from space | image_bathymetry = Map of Bab-el-Mandeb.png | caption_bathymetry = locator map of the strait | location = Between Horn of Africa and South Arabia | coords = {{coord|12|35|N|43|20|E|type:waterbody|display=inline,title}} | type = | depth = {{convert|609|ft|abbr=on}} | inflow = | outflow = | catchment = | basin_countries = Djibouti, Eritrea and Yemen | length = {{convert|31|mi|abbr=on}} | width = | min_width = {{convert|16|mi|abbr=on}} | islands = Seven Brothers, Doumeira, Perim | mapframe-zoom = 4 }} The '''Bab-el-Mandeb'''<ref>({{langx|ar|باب المندب|lit=Gate of Grief/Tears}} {{Cite news |date=2023-12-18 |title=BP pauses all Red Sea shipments after rebel attacks |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-67748605 |access-date=2023-12-19}}, {{Langx|ti|ባብ ኣል ማንዳብ|Bab ʾAl Mandab}})</ref> is a strait and a major global chokepoint between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and by extension the Indian Ocean.

== Etymology == In ''Bab-el-Mandeb'', ''Bab'' means "gate" or "door" while ''Mandeb'' means "lamentation" or "grief". The strait derives its name from the dangers attending its navigation or, according to an Arab legend, from the numbers who were drowned by an earthquake that separated the Arabian Peninsula from the Horn of Africa.<ref name="EB 1878, 179">{{cite EB9 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Bab-el-Mandeb |volume=3 |ref={{harvid|''EB''|1878}} |page=179 }}</ref>

==History== Paleo-environmental and tectonic events in the Miocene epoch created the Danakil Isthmus, a land bridge forming a broad connection between Yemen and Ethiopia.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Nile: Origin, Environments, Limnology and Human Use|author=Henri J. Dumont|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|year=2009|series=Monographiae Biologicae|volume=89|isbn=9781402097263|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iF_U1NoknHoC|page=603}}</ref> During the last 100,000 years, eustatic sea level fluctuations have led to alternate opening and closing of the straits.<ref>{{cite book|title=Climate in Earth History|publisher=National Academies|year=1982|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k0QrAAAAYAAJ|page=124|isbn=9780309033299}}</ref> According to the recent single origin hypothesis, the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb were probably witness to the earliest migrations of modern humans across continents. It is presumed that the oceans were then much lower and the straits were much shallower or dry, which allowed a series of emigrations along the southern coast of Asia.

In Arab tradition it is reported that in ancient times Asia and Africa were joined together, until they were split at the Bab-el-Mandeb. Yaqut al-Hamawi associates the name Bab-el-Mandeb with the 6th century crossing of the Aksumites over the sea to Yemen. Two Sabaean inscriptions of the early 6th century mention ''silsilat al-Mandab'' in connection with the conflict between Dhu Nuwas and the Aksumites.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Uhlig |first1=Siegbert |title=Encyclopaedia Aethiopica: A-C |pages=427}}</ref>

The British East India Company unilaterally seized the island of Perim in 1799 on behalf of its Indian empire. The government of Britain asserted its ownership in 1857 and erected a lighthouse there in 1861, using it to command the Red Sea and the trade routes through the Suez Canal.<ref name="EB 1878, 179"/> It was used as a coaling station to refuel steamships until 1935 when the reduced use of coal as fuel rendered the operation unprofitable.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gavin |first=R. J. |title=Aden under British rule, 1839–1967 |date=1975 |publisher=C. Hurst & Co.; Barnes & Noble Books |isbn=978-0-903983-14-3  |pages=291–292 |id=Google Books [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Aden_Under_British_Rule_1839_1967/LmCAAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=coaling%201935 LmCAAAAAIAAJ]. Internet Archive [https://archive.org/details/adenunderbritish0000gavi/page/291?q=coaling adenunderbritish0000gavi].}}</ref>

The British presence continued until 1967 when the island became part of the People's Republic of South Yemen. Before the handover, the British government had put forward before the United Nations a proposal for the island to be internationalized<ref>{{cite book |first=Fred |last=Halliday |title=Revolution and Foreign Policy, the Case of South Yemen, 1967–1987 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1990 |page=11 |isbn=0-521-32856-X }}</ref><ref name="Hakim, pp. 17-18">Hakim, pp. 17-18.</ref> as a way to ensure the continued security of passage and navigation in the Bab-el-Mandeb, but this was refused.

{{anchor|Bridge}} In 2008 a company owned by Tarek bin Laden unveiled plans to build a bridge named Bridge of the Horns across the strait, linking Yemen with Djibouti.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Tarek Bin Laden's Red Sea bridge |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7259427.stm |publisher=BBC News|date=22 February 2008 }}</ref> Middle East Development LLC issued a notice to construct a bridge passing across the Red Sea that would be the longest suspended passing in the world.<ref>{{cite web |author=Tom Sawyer |title=Notice-to-Proceed Launches Ambitious Red Sea Crossing |url=https://www.enr.com/articles/32155-notice-to-proceed-launches-ambitious-red-sea-crossing |work=Engineering News-Record |date=May 1, 2007}}</ref> The project was assigned to two Danish companies: engineering company COWI in collaboration with architect studio Dissing+Weitling. However, the announced delay to Phase 1 in 2010 and the lack of any further updates since makes this a defunct project.

== Significance in the maritime trade route == [[File:Total_petroleum_and_LNG_flows_through_the_Bab_el-Mandeb_Strait_in_2014_through_2018_(48671783212).png|thumb|upright=1.5|Flows of petroleum products and liquefied natural gas through the strait, 2014–2018]] The Bab-el-Mandeb acts as a strategic link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Most exports of petroleum and natural gas from the Persian Gulf that transit the Suez Canal or the SUMED Pipeline pass through both the Bab el-Mandeb and the Strait of Hormuz.<ref name="EIA">{{cite web |title=The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a strategic route for oil and natural gas shipments |url=https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=41073 |website=Today in Energy |access-date=November 10, 2023 |language=en |date=August 27, 2019|last=Barden|first=Justine|display-authors=etal|publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> While the narrow width of the strait requires vessels to travel through the territorial sea of adjacent states, under the purview of Article 37 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the legal concept of transit passage applies to Bab el-Mandeb, although Eritrea (unlike the rest of coastal countries) is not a party to the convention.<ref>{{Cite book|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004509368|year=2022|pages=117–118|chapter-url=https://brill.com/display/book/9789004509368/BP000008.xml|chapter=Iran-Israel ‘Shadow War’ in Waters around the Arabian Peninsula and Incidents near the Bab el-Mandeb|title=Hybrid Threats and the Law of the Sea|first=Alexander|last=Lott}}</ref>

Chokepoints are narrow channels along widely used global sea routes that are critical to global energy security. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is {{convert|26|km|nmi|abbr=off}} wide at its narrowest point, limiting tanker traffic to two 2-mile-wide channels for inbound and outbound shipments.<ref name="EIA"/><ref name="EB 1878, 179" />

Closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could keep tankers originating in the Persian Gulf from transiting the Suez Canal or reaching the SUMED Pipeline, forcing them to divert around the southern tip of Africa, which would increase transit time and shipping costs.

In 2006, an estimated {{convert|3.3|Moilbbl|m3}} of oil passed through the strait per day, out of a world total of about {{convert|43|Moilbbl/d|m3/d}} moved by tankers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 2008 |title=World Oil Transit Chokepoints |url=http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints/Full.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121093014/http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints/Full.html |archive-date=2008-01-21 |website=Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government |publisher=Energy Information Administration (EIA)}}</ref> (For in-between data, see <ref>{{Cite web |date=November 10, 2014 |title=World Oil Transit Chokepoints |url=http://www.eia.gov/countries/regions-topics.cfm?fips=wotc&trk=p3 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218222232/http://www.eia.gov/countries/regions-topics.cfm?fips=wotc&trk=p3 |archive-date=2015-02-18 |publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) |pages=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150421170841id_/http://www.eia.gov/countries/analysisbriefs/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints/wotc.pdf#page=2 2, 11–12] |language=en}}</ref>.) This rose by 2014 to 5.1 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil, condensate and refined petroleum products headed toward Europe, the United States, and Asia, then an estimated 6.2 million b/d by 2018.<ref name="EIA"/>

In 2017, total petroleum flows through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait accounted for about 9% of total seaborne-traded petroleum (crude oil and refined petroleum products) in 2017. About 3.6 million b/d moved north toward Europe; another 2.6 million b/d flowed in the opposite direction mainly to Asian markets such as Singapore, China, and India.<ref name="EIA"/>

== Significance for maritime security and geopolitics == thumb|upright=1.5|A satellite photo of Bab-el-Mandeb, with labels The Bab-el-Mandeb is widely regarded to play a key role in international, regional and maritime security in the Middle East, East Africa, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Remnek |first=Richard B. |date=1990 |title=The Strategic Importance of the Bab el-Mandeb and the Horn of Africa |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44638483 |journal=Naval War College Review |volume=43 |issue=4 |pages=6–30 |jstor=44638483 |issn=0028-1484}}</ref> The strait is only "9¼ miles (16½ km)"{{Contradictory inline|reason=This conversion ratio (1.78 or 0.56) is somewhere between those for statute miles and for nautical miles.|date=May 2026}} wide at its narrowest point between Djibouti and Perim (the "Large Strait", as opposed to the "Small Strait" on the other side with Yemen),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lapidoth-Eschelbacher |first=Ruth |url=https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9789004633087/html |title=The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden |date=1982 |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, distributed by Kluwer |isbn=90-247-2501-1  |series=International straits of the world, vol. 5 |pages=130–149 (see p. 132) |language=en |chapter=4: The Strait of Bab al-Mandeb |doi=10.1163/9789004633087_009 |lccn=81-22395 |id=Google Books [https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Red_Sea_and_the_Gulf_of_Aden/bjoeEQAAQBAJ?gbpv=1&pg=PA132 bjoeEQAAQBAJ]. |orig-date=eBook 2024 |chapter-url=https://brill.com/display/book/9789004633087/B9789004633087_s009.xml}}</ref> and is considered a choke point, which makes the Bab-el-Mandeb of economic and strategic interest.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rodriguez-Diaz |first1=Emilio |last2=Alcaide |first2=J. I. |last3=Garcia-Llave |first3=R. |date=2024-10-23 |title=Challenges and Security Risks in the Red Sea: Impact of Houthi Attacks on Maritime Traffic |journal=Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |language=en |volume=12 |issue=11 |pages=1900 |doi=10.3390/jmse12111900 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2024JMSE...12.1900R |issn=2077-1312}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Aguilera Raga |first=Ana |date=10 March 2020 |title=The Bab el-Mandeb strait: Geopolitical considerations of the strategic chokepoint |url=https://www.ieee.es/Galerias/fichero/docs_opinion/2020/DIEEEO19_2020ANAAGU_BabMandeb_ENG.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250709002645/https://www.ieee.es/Galerias/fichero/docs_opinion/2020/DIEEEO19_2020ANAAGU_BabMandeb_ENG.pdf |archive-date=July 9, 2025 |access-date=2025-12-30 |url-status=live |publisher=Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos|series=Opinion Paper 19/2020}}</ref> The Bab-el-Mandeb is an important corridor for geostrategic cables underneath the narrow strait passage at the Bab-el-Mandeb, including power cables and fibre-optic cables used for communication, which attracts the attention of intelligence services for surveillance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Red Sea cables: How UK and US spy agencies listen to the Middle East |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/red-sea-cables-how-us-uk-spy-agencies-listen-middle-east  |access-date=2025-12-29 |website=Middle East Eye |language=en|date=4 March 2021 – 4 March 2024 |last=Cochrane|first=Paul}}</ref>

Although the Bab-el-Mandeb, legally, is an international strait and a transit passage, its strategic position has made command of the sea over the strait key to military influence in the region.<ref name=":1" /> The Bab-el-Mandeb is often discussed alongside other major maritime chokepoints, such as the Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz, due to their shared importance for maritime security in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lons |first=Camille |date=2025-05-09 |title=Anatomy of a chokepoint: Mapping power and conflict in the Red Sea – European Council on Foreign Relations |url=https://ecfr.eu/special/anatomy-of-a-chokepoint-mapping-power-and-conflict-in-the-red-sea/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=ECFR |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The vulnerabilities of the Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb strategic straits |url=https://www.med-or.org/en/news/le-vulnerabilit%C3%A0-degli-stretti-strategici-di-hormuz-e-bab-el-mandeb |access-date=2025-12-30 |language=en|date=28 May 2024|publisher=Med-Or Italian Foundation|department=Geopolitics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Amid regional conflict, the Strait of Hormuz remains critical oil chokepoint |url=https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=65504 |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Today in Energy|date=June 16, 2025|last=Dunn|first=Candace|publisher=U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)|last2=Barden|first2=Justine|display-authors=etal |department=In-brief analysis}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wastnidge |first1=Edward |last2=Mabon |first2=Simon |date=2024-10-19 |title=The resistance axis and regional order in the Middle East: nomos, space, and normative alternatives |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/13530194.2023.2179975 |journal=British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies |volume=51 |issue=5 |pages=954–971 |doi=10.1080/13530194.2023.2179975 |issn=1353-0194}}</ref>

The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 made the Bab-el-Mandeb a strategic choke point. Since then, the strait has been subject to claims of control via land-based positions and naval presence. This has been evident between present-day Yemen and the island of Perim on the side of the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti, Eritrea and the Seven Brothers Islands at the Horn of Africa site, and from sea the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Labib |first=Ashraf |title=Bab El-Mandeb Strait and its impact on Red Sea security and stability – NCMES |url=https://en.ncmes.org/3360/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |language=en-US}}</ref>

On the Arabian Peninsula, the British Empire was present in Yemen and at Perim from 1799 until 1967, when the island came under control of People's Democratic Republic of Yemen after its independence from the Aden Protectorate. From 1967 to 1986, there was a strong Soviet presence at Perim and by the Bab-el-Mandeb. This presence slowly faded out until the end of the Cold War, after which the USSR withdrew their forces.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Makovsky |first1=Michael |last2=Misztal |first2=Blaise |last3=Ruhe |first3=Jonathan |date=January 2011 |title=Fragility and Extremismin Yemen: A Case STudy Of The Stabilizing Fragile States Project |url=https://bipartisanpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Yemen-Final-Report.pdf}}</ref>

Today the Yemeni civil war (2014–present) influences the security of the Yemen site. The Iran-backed Houthis and the Yemeni National forces are the key land-based security actors around the Bab-el-Mandeb <ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Al Jazeera |title=Who are the groups controlling Yemen? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/9/who-are-the-groups-controlling-yemen |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=U. S. Naval Institute |date=2024-08-06 |title=Report to Congress on Conflict in Yemen, Red Sea Attacks |url=https://news.usni.org/2024/08/06/report-to-congress-on-conflict-in-yemen-red-sea-attacks |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=USNI News |language=en-US}}</ref>, with regional powers including Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates trying to influence the conflict.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Action |first=the Center for Preventive |title=Conflict in Yemen and the Red Sea |url=https://cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/war-yemen |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Global Conflict Tracker |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ardemagni |first=Eleonora |title=UAE's Foreign Policy: From Militias in the Rimland to Straits Diplomacy |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/sada/2021/10/uaes-foreign-policy-from-militias-in-the-rimland-to-straits-diplomacy?lang=en |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |language=en}}</ref>

On the African side of the strait in present-day Djibouti, the French colonial empire was present at the Bab-el-Mandeb 1862–1967 as French Somaliland and from 1967–1977 as French Territory of the Afars and the Issas, at which point Djibouti voted for its own independence. Other countries were present in colonies such as British Somaliland, Italian Eritrea among others.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Our History |url=https://us.embassyeritrea.org/our-history/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=Eritrean Embassy |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Prunier |first=Gérard |date=2015-04-03 |title=British Somaliland: An Administrative History, 1920–1960 by Brock Millman: Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern History. London and New York: Routledge, 2014. 316 pp. £95.00/$160.00 cloth |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/21520844.2015.1050626 |journal=The Journal of the Middle East and Africa |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=221–225 |doi=10.1080/21520844.2015.1050626 |issn=2152-0844}}</ref> Since 1977, France has committed to the independence and territorial integrity of Djibouti,<ref>{{Cite periodical |last= Robert Galley |author-link=Robert Galley |last2=Hassan Gouled Aptidon |author-link2=Hassan Gouled Aptidon |date=27 June 1977  |title=France and Djibouti: Treaty of friendship and co-operation |trans-title=translated from "France et Djibouti: Traité d'amitié et de coopération" |magazine=United Nations — Treaty Series |pages=193–197 |publication-date= 30 September 1987 |volume=1482 |issue=25292 |id=World Legal Information Institute [https://www.worldlii.org/int/other/UNTSer/1987/698.html <nowiki>[1987] UNTSer 698</nowiki>]. |trans-periodical=Nations Unies — Recueil des Traités}}</ref> renewed in 2014 <ref>{{Cite web |last=Étrangères |first=Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires |title=France and Djibouti |url=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/djibouti/france-and-djibouti-65125/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=France Diplomacy - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs |language=en}}</ref> and again in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2025-04-16 |title=EXCLUSIVE: Djibouti Approves New 20-Year Defense Treaty with France - Horn Pulse |url=https://hornpulse.com/2025/04/16/exclusive-djibouti-approves-new-20-year-defense-treaty-with-france/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Hornepulse |language=en-US}}</ref>

Djibouti has increasingly become a site for military influence for great powers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gurjar |first=Sankalp |title=The Superpowers' Playground: Djibouti and Geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific in the 21st Century |url=https://www.routledge.com/The-Superpowers-Playground-Djibouti-and-Geopolitics-of-the-Indo-Pacific-in-the-21st-Century/Gurjar/p/book/9781032418278 |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Routledge & CRC Press |language=en}}</ref> Although French forces are still present, the United States overtook Camp Lemonnier from France in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Commander, Navy Region Europe, Africa, Central |url=https://cnreurafcent.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/Camp-Lemonnier-Djibouti/About/History/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251209052253/https://cnreurafcent.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/Camp-Lemonnier-Djibouti/About/History/ |archive-date=December 9, 2025 |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=cnreurafcent.cnic.navy.mil |language=en-US |url-status=live }}</ref> China has the strategically placed People's Liberation Army Support Base in Djibouti. Japan has Japan Self-Defense Force Base Djibouti, and Italy has Italian Military Support Base in Djibouti.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Donelli |first=Federico |date=2022 |title=The Red Sea Competition Arena: Anatomy of Chinese Strategic Engagement with Djibouti |url=https://www.africheorienti.com/journal/article/view/15 |journal=Afriche e Orienti |language=en |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=43–59 |doi=10.23810/AEOXXV202213 |issn=3007-5777}}</ref> Saudi Arabia has established a logistics hub and is in discussions with Djibouti about a military base.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Gulf and the Horn of Africa: Investing in Security |url=https://mecouncil.org/publication/the-gulf-and-the-horn-of-africa-investing-in-security/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Middle East Council on Global Affairs |language=en-US}}</ref> Russia has established military relations with Eritrea.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Russia in the Red Sea: Port Options in Eritrea (Part Two) - Jamestown |url=https://jamestown.org/russia-in-the-red-sea-port-options-in-eritrea-part-two/ |access-date=2026-01-02 |website=jamestown.org}}</ref>

From sea, claims of control of the Bab-el-Mandeb have been made from the United States since the end of World War II, through US-led naval operations in the area from the United States Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Naval Sea Systems Command |url=https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/RMC/FDRMC/Bahrain/WhyBahrain/OurMission/5thFleet/}}</ref> In 2002, the naval partnership Combined Maritime Forces was established. The force conducts maritime control missions in the area and is supported by contributions from 46 countries.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mitchell |first=Vines |date=2025-12-03 |title=The Value of Combined Maritime Forces – Unipath |url=https://unipath-magazine.com/the-value-of-combined-maritime-forces/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schneller |first=R. J. |title=Naval History and Heritage Command: Piracy and HOA Operations |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/special%20highlights/pirates/Piracy%20and%20HOA%20Operations,%202009,%20Schneller.pdf |archive-url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/browse-by-topic/War%20and%20Conflict/pirate-interdiction-and-the-u-s-navy/Piracy%20and%20HOA%20Operations,%202009,%20Schneller.pdf |archive-date=2013-05-20 |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=www.history.navy.mil}}</ref> This includes latest the Combined Task Force 153 in April 2022 to ensure maritime security for the Bab-el-Mandab, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Measures include efforts to ensure safe transit passage through the strait.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-12 |title=CTF 153: Red Sea Maritime Security |url=https://combinedmaritimeforces.com/ctf-153-red-sea-maritime-security/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Combined Maritime Forces |language=en}}</ref>

Following the October 2023 invasion of the Gaza Strip by the IDF after the Hamas pogrom of October 7 of that year, the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen attacked Israel, American and British tankers in the Red Sea, and commercial ships.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nevola |first=Luca |date=2025-12-11 |title=A Red Sea hall of mirrors: US and Houthi statements vs. actions {{!}} ACLED |url=https://acleddata.com/report/red-sea-hall-mirrors-us-and-houthi-statements-vs-actions |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=acleddata.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-26 |title=Timeline: Houthi Attacks {{!}} Wilson Center |url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/timeline-houthi-attacks |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=www.wilsoncenter.org |language=en}}</ref> A conflict continued until a ceasefire was brokered in late 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rogers |first=Abby |title=Yemen's Houthis appear to pull back from Red Sea shipping attacks |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/11/yemens-houthis-appear-to-pull-back-from-red-sea-shipping-attacks |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> With asymmetric warfare, the Houthis used anti-access/area denial to change the security situation in the Red Sea, using the chokepoint of the Bab-el-Mandeb and the national waters of Yemen as a strategic advantage. The Houthis have been backed by Iran in the broader Axis of Resistance.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Juneau |first=Thomas |date=2024-03-03 |title=How War in Yemen Transformed the Iran-Houthi Partnership |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/1057610X.2021.1954353 |journal=Studies in Conflict & Terrorism |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=278–300 |doi=10.1080/1057610X.2021.1954353 |issn=1057-610X}}</ref> The CRINK-alliance have allegedly supported the Houthis with weapons, dual-use weapons and geospatial intelligence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grove |first=Benoit Faucon and Thomas |date=2024-10-24 |title=Exclusive {{!}} Russia Provided Targeting Data for Houthi Assault on Global Shipping |url=https://www.wsj.com/world/russia-provided-targeting-data-for-houthi-assault-on-global-shipping-eabc2c2b |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=The Wall Street Journal |language=en-US}}</ref> There have been references to tracked navy ships in the area from Russia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Klyszcz |first=Ivan U. K. |date=2025-09-29 |title=Russia and the Red Sea since 2022: Militarised Foreign Policy or Strategy of Conflict? - International Centre for Defence and Security |url=https://icds.ee/en/russia-and-the-red-sea-since-2022-militarised-foreign-policy-or-strategy-of-conflict/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=icds.ee |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Following the Red Sea Crisis a number of new operations were initiated, including the EU-led Operation Aspides <ref>{{Cite web |title=EUNAVFOR OPERATION ASPIDES {{!}} EEAS |url=https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/eunavfor-operation-aspides_en |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=www.eeas.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref> and Operation Prosperity Guardian under the Combined Maritime Forces, all to ensure safe passage through the Bab-el-Mandeb.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Chris |date=2023-12-18 |title=Pentagon Announces 'Operation Prosperity Guardian' to Stop Attacks by Houthis |url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/operation-prosperity-guardian-houthi-attacks/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |website=Air & Space Forces Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> Previous measures have included the Djibouti Code of Conduct to ensure safe passage against pirates.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About us – DCoC |url=https://dcoc.org/about-us/ |access-date=2025-12-30 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In April 2026, Houthi official Hussein al-Ezzi warned that the Bab al-Mandeb Strait could be closed, stating that "no force would be able to reopen it" if Sanaa makes the decision. The warning came amid heightened tensions over the US naval blockade of Iran.<ref>{{cite news |title=Yemen's Houthis threaten closure of Bab al-Mandeb Strait |url=https://english.news.cn/20260419/d69cd39bf1f94cd58f4590b07f370209/c.html |publisher=Xinhua News Agency |date=19 April 2026 |access-date=25 April 2026}}</ref>

==Geography== [[File:Bab-el-Mandeb Seen From Midchannel (cropped).jpg|thumb|The Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, with Perim Island in the distance]] The distance across is about {{convert|26|km|nmi}} from Ras Menheli in Yemen to Ras Siyyan in Djibouti. The island of Perim divides the strait into two channels. The eastern, known as the Bab Iskender (Alexander's Strait), is {{convert|5.37|km|nmi}} wide and has a depth of {{convert|16|fathom|m ft|lk=in|disp=flip}}. The western, or Dact-el-Mayun, has a width of {{convert|20.3|km|nmi}} and a depth of {{convert|170|fathom|m ft|disp=flip}}.<ref name="EB 1878, 179" />

Near the coast of Djibouti lies a group of smaller islands known as the "Seven Brothers". There is a surface current inwards in the eastern channel, but a strong undercurrent outwards in the western channel.<ref name="EB 1878, 179" /> The width between the island of Perim (Yemen) and Big Island (''Kaḏḏa Dâbali''), Djibouti is just {{convert|17|km|nmi}}.

===Demographics=== {| class="wikitable sortable" ! Country ! Area (km2) ! Population (2016 est.) ! Population density (per km2) ! Capital ! GDP (PPP) $M USD ! GDP per capita (PPP) $ USD |- | {{flagicon|Yemen}} Yemen | align="right" | 527,829 | align="right" | 27,392,779 | align="right" | 51.9 | Sanaa | align="right" | $58,202 | align="right" | $2,249 |- | {{flagicon|Eritrea}} Eritrea | align="right" | 117,600 | align="right" | 6,380,803 | align="right" | 54.3 | Asmara | align="right" | $9,121 | align="right" | $1,314 |- | {{flagicon|Djibouti}} Djibouti | align="right" | 23,200 | align="right" | 846,687 | align="right" | 36.5 | Djibouti City | align="right" | $3,327 | align="right" | $3,351 |- ! Total ! align="right" | 668,629 ! align="right" | 34,620,269 ! align="right" | 51.8 / km2 ! align="right" | Various ! align="right" | $70,650 ! align="right" | $1,841 |- | colspan="7" |'''Source:'''<ref name="factbook">{{cite web |title=CIA World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/index.html |work=The World Factbook |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |location=Langley, Virginia}}</ref> |}

==Population centers== The most significant towns and cities along both the Djiboutian and Yemeni sides of the Bab-el-Mandeb:

===Djibouti=== * Khôr ʽAngar * Moulhoule * Fagal

===Yemen=== * At Turbah * Cheikh Saïd * Perim

==See also== '''Strait:''' *Red Sea Dam

'''Region:''' *Horn of Africa *Mashriq

==References== {{reflist|30em}}

==External links== {{commons category}} * {{cite EB1911 |mode=cs2 |ref=none|wstitle=Bab-el-Mandeb |volume=3 |page=91 |short=x}} * [http://enr.construction.com/news/intl/archives/070501.asp Notice-to-Proceed Launches Ambitious Red Sea Crossing] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211174736/http://enr.construction.com/news/intl/archives/070501.asp |date=February 11, 2009 }} * [http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Esteri/2007/07_Luglio/14/ponte_yemen.shtml Sea crossing] {{List of African seas}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bab-El-Mandeb}} Category:Bab-el-Mandeb Category:Straits of Asia Category:Straits of Africa Category:Straits of the Indian Ocean Category:Arabian mythology Category:Bodies of water of Yemen Category:Bodies of water of Djibouti Category:Bodies of water of the Red Sea Category:Gulf of Aden Category:Borders of Yemen Category:Borders of Djibouti Category:Borders of Eritrea Category:International straits Category:Djibouti–Eritrea border Category:Transcontinental straits