Yemen: Escalating Tensions in the Bab el Mandeb Strait The Bab el Mandeb Strait is a 24 kilometer wide waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Strategically situated at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, it plays host to approximately one quarter of the world's oil tanker traffic, roughly half of Europe's and Asia's trade, and a significant portion of international shipping between East Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
The tensions in the Bab el Mandeb Strait have been escalating for years.