Recent events in Yemen, Sudan and Somalia have underscored the need for the nations overlooking the Red Sea to coordinate more closely to end these conflicts. These three cases represent examples where local problems have gradually entangled regional and international players with differing interests. Other disputes also affect this region and require coordination among the littoral states, including the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Egyptian-Ethiopian dispute over sharing the Nile and the more recent Ethiopian quest for sea access.

While restoring peace and security should be the primary goal of this coordination, promoting trade, investment and development and protecting the marine environment should also be part of a new and robust security architecture to safeguard the Red Sea region.

International trade and trade among the littoral states have been severely affected by these conflicts. The international community should be concerned about the economic effects of these simmering conflicts on trade. For millennia, the Red Sea has been a vital corridor for trade, connecting three continents — Asia, Africa and Europe. In normal times, this route handles 12 percent to 15 percent of international maritime trade and about 30 percent of global container traffic, according to the World Shipping Council. In 2023, the Suez Canal recorded 26,434 vessel transits, including 5,847 container ships, averaging about 16 container vessels daily.

The Houthis started attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in October 2023. There have been about 120 such attacks since then. As a result, trade has diverted from the Red Sea to the longer and more expensive route around Africa. In 2025, the trade volume through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait declined to about 35 percent of 2023 levels, while Suez Canal traffic was about 41 percent compared to 2023. Large ships (7,500 tonnes and up) now largely avoid both passageways altogether. Container ship traffic through the Suez Canal is at about 6 percent of what it was in 2023 and only nine ships transited Bab Al-Mandab during 2025.

The Red Sea is also a vital route for oil and liquefied natural gas, the insecurity of which threatens supplies for Europe and other regions. Before the crisis, about 9.2 million barrels per day of crude oil and refined petroleum products passed through the Red Sea, according to US Energy Information Administration figures. This volume represented about 12 percent of total global seaborne-traded oil before 2023, when Houthi attacks started.

While Yemen has turned a new page with the restoration of government authority over areas overlooking Bab Al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden, large parts of the country’s Red Sea coast remain under Houthi control. Somaliland’s unilateral quest for independence has taken a bad turn as it has entangled outside players, such as Israel. The war in Sudan also took a turn for the worse in 2025, affecting the security of the whole region.

Trade and security are both at risk when security for underwater fiber optic cables is breached because they are essential for data transmission between Africa, Europe and Asia. Similarly for environmental hazards, Houthi attacks on oil tankers risks of major ecological disasters in the region.

Terrorism remains a serious threat, with the Houthis and Al-Shabab joining forces to destabilize the region. Human trafficking, illegal migration and drugs remain perennial threats as well.

The region is highly militarized, with numerous foreign bases in Djibouti, for example. The US has its largest African base there and the primary base for its Africa Command. China has its first overseas military base there and France has its largest base abroad. Japan, Italy, Germany, the UK and others also maintain a military presence in the country.

In addition, the US launched its Prosperity Guardian operation in the southern Red Sea and the EU has its Operation Atalanta along the Somali coast and Aspides near Bab Al-Mandab. The Bahrain-based Combined Maritime Forces has dispatched a Red Sea task force as well. Turkiye is also enhancing its military presence in the region.

While these efforts from outside the region are welcome, there is an urgent need to coordinate the efforts of local players, not only on security issues but on a more comprehensive agenda that also includes diplomacy, economic integration, environmental protection and fighting illicit trade.

All these issues argue for closer coordination among Red Sea and Gulf of Aden littoral states. Saudi Arabia is probably the country that is best placed to play the coordinating role, as it has the longest coast along the Red Sea and has deep historical ties with all countries overlooking both these bodies of water. Having the largest regional economy, it has an abiding interest in restoring stability and security in this region. It has committed enormous funds to promoting trade and tourism along its Red Sea coast and islands as part of its drive to diversify its economy under Vision 2030. The country is preparing to host Expo 2030, Fifa World Cup 2034 and other major events in the near future, which also call for keeping this region safe and secure.