Activate the Defensive Maritime Alliance
Activating the “Mecca Agreement” is a step in the right direction to end the anomalous situation in Yemen, whose people have been enduring since 2011 a condition that can only be described as having returned Happy Yemen to the prehistoric and dark ages. The timing of the agreement’s activation coinciding with the “Yemen Dawn” operation is appropriate, because the threat to regional security places the world on the “toe of a Houthi genie,” which, as we have stated on many occasions, operates under Iranian command.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is not a secondary waterway; it is the lifeline of global supply chains, as it connects several continents in one way or another. Any disruption there undermines global economic security. Therefore, Houthi control over the strait, coupled with the ongoing tense situation in the Strait of Hormuz, has driven up prices of essential commodities and increased global inflation. If this continues, it will recreate the disturbing global scenario of the 1920s, characterized by severe inflation that, along with several similar factors to those present today, ultimately led to a world war.
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Therefore, merely addressing the crisis superficially will exacerbate global anxiety. Countries affected by developments in Bab el-Mandeb and Yemen in general must take decisive action to halt Houthi interventions, and those behind them—Iran. Relying solely on statements of condemnation and denunciation, as well as diplomatic positions, is insufficient. Words do not bring the dead back to life, do not reclaim occupied land, and do not feed the hungry.
As we have previously stated, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been, and remains, the formidable bulwark against the Iranian enemy. Since 2015, it has borne much of the burden, along with other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, in confronting the Houthis. However, this does not mean that Saudi Arabia should be left alone to resist for years a plan targeting regional security—economic, military, social, and even religious—while countries benefiting from strategic waterways merely issue statements, as if they have no stake in what is happening in the region.
Yes, activating the “Mecca Agreement” is good, but it requires further steps, including the activation of the defensive maritime coalition announced on July 30 last year. This coalition is based on securing international trade routes and protecting energy supply lines through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. This threat remains ongoing.
For years, the Houthi group has worked to destabilize Bab el-Mandeb, and no country moved to stop them except the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Today, following the announcement of this maritime coalition, it must be activated to help end the prolonged anomalous Houthi situation, which has remained untreated, like a malignant tumor that requires surgical removal.
When some countries work to eliminate Iranian influence in the region, while others turn a blind eye, they are aiding terrorism in its most blatant form. When defensive alliances remain inactive—particularly one involving 14 participating states—they are providing unseen support to pirate groups. This brings us back to the Somali situation, when chaos engulfed that country, allowing pirates to control the Somali coast, the Gulf of Aden, and the Indian Ocean since 1991. Today, they are regaining activity due to the failure to address the Houthi situation.
This reality must be clear to world decision-makers if they seek to ensure international maritime security. If, however, they are working to legitimize piracy, they are harming themselves and their peoples, and in that case, everyone will be the loser.
