Djibouti PM warns of Houthi control of Bab el-Mandeb
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on ADI
Djibouti’s Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed describes the consequences of the war in Yemen for Djibouti, which is hosting at least 3,836 refugees after the Houthis seized the western coast. He warns of risks to the Bab el-Mandeb strait, through which around 12% of global maritime trade passes, in an interview with Le Point carried by ADI.
Djibouti’s Prime Minister Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed says Yemen’s Houthi rebels have de facto control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait after their latest offensive on Yemen’s western coast. A blockade of the passage, located between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, could paralyse nearly 12% of global maritime trade, he told Le Point.
The Houthis’ advance has also led to the arrival of at least 3,836 refugees in Djibouti, a country of around 1.2 million people, the media outlet reports. The rebels took control of the entire Yemeni western coast on 11 September, according to the account of the interview.
Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed describes Yemen as a close neighbour, separated from Djibouti by a few kilometres and linked to the country by longstanding exchanges. He says he wants to make use of Djibouti’s geographical position as a “point of stability” and a place for dialogue between Africa, the Arab world and major international routes.
The interview comes amid regional tensions, after the Houthis denied on 30 October that they had launched a drone towards Saudi Arabia, according to an earlier publication.
