Red Sea ports push

How national, regional and international competition over ports is shaping political alliances and enmities across the Red Sea zone.

The politics of ports in the Horn: War, peace and Red Sea rivalries

BY DAVID STYAN

For over 25 years, maritime strategy and port development in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden appeared relatively static. Eritrea looked inwards, neglecting its coast. Djibouti flourished, lucratively embracing Ethiopia’s trade, overseas investors and foreign military bases. Somalia’s shores became synonymous with piracy, prompting Western and Asian naval manoeuvres, quietly ensuring free passage to the Suez Canal.

But now things may be changing. Ports in the Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden are suddenly in the spotlight.

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Source: africanarguments.org