Red Sea security council mooted

The formation of a new political council aimed at securing the Red Sea was discussed yesterday in Riyadh at a gathering of foreign ministers from coastal Arab and African nations.

The meeting is the first to gather the seven countries – Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Egypt and Yemen – in an attempt to improve the economic and maritime security of the Red Sea coasts.

A bloc between the seven nations will be established to manage the affairs of the Red Sea and its choke points, which funnel approximately 10 per cent of world trade. “The safety and security of the Red Sea will open the opportunity for increased co-operation with the entire world,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir said via his ministry’s Twitter account.

“During the meeting, they discussed the prospects for co-operation among the concerned countries and the role of establishing the group in enhancing security, stability, trade and investment in the region,” the Saudi state news agency reported.

On Monday, a statement by the GCC countries said co-operation between the six Arab states and several African countries would increase. The communique, published after the one-day GCC summit in Riyadh, focuses in part on how to strengthen the Gulf states’ alliance with countries such as Burkina Faso, Chad and Mali, among others.

This is not the first time GCC countries have taken an interest in the African continent. Saudi Arabia and the UAE helped to broker a deal between Eritrea and Ethiopia in September ending a decades-long dispute.

The strategic importance of the Horn of Africa countries, which jointly control the Bab el Mandeb with Yemen, has led some GCC countries to

increase their support for those governments.

The Bab el Mandeb is a key shipping route for GCC oil exports travelling west, while African food imports to the UAE have risen 170 per cent since 2010.

The Supreme Council of GCC countries, the formal title given to the gathering of representatives at the annual meeting, said it would provide support to the G5 sub-Saharan countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – including “military, logistic and development aid” to help them in their fight against terrorism.

The Sudanese government has taken part in the Arab Coalition’s intervention in Yemen, providing four military planes and ground forces.

Over the summer, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development pledged Dh11 billion in assistance to Ethiopia during a visit by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

As the fastest-growing economy in Africa, Ethiopia is viewed by the Gulf states as a potential source of stability in East Africa.