Fourteen countries announced on Thursday the establishment of a Saudi-led multinational defensive maritime alliance aimed at safeguarding freedom of navigation and securing international trade routes and energy supply lines in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, amid escalating threats to commercial vessels and energy tankers in the region.
The announcement followed an international meeting hosted by the Saudi capital, Riyadh, attended by chiefs of staff and representatives from 43 countries, along with the European Union’s representative to the Kingdom. A total of 51 countries and organisations had been invited to participate either in person or via video conference.
The countries that signed the joint statement were Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Sudan, Djibouti and Somalia. Other countries that attended the meeting expressed support for the initiative and said they were working to complete the domestic procedures and approvals required to join.
The meeting designated Saudi Arabia as the founding and leading country of the alliance and agreed that the Kingdom would host its permanent headquarters, as well as the joint command, the command-and-control centre, the Combined Maritime Operations Centre and the General Secretariat, which will serve as the alliance’s principal executive bodies.
According to the joint statement, the alliance will operate as a framework for maritime defence cooperation, seeking to strengthen maritime security, protect freedom of navigation and secure international trade routes, energy supply lines and shared maritime interests in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, in accordance with international law, United Nations conventions and internationally recognised norms.
Areas of cooperation among member states will include the exchange of information and intelligence, operational planning, joint exercises, training and capacity-building, sharing lessons learned and expertise, and conducting joint maritime operations in accordance with the alliance’s charter.
The statement stressed that each country’s participation in the alliance’s activities and operations would remain a sovereign decision governed by its national laws and procedures.
It also emphasised that the alliance is “purely defensive in nature and does not target any state, alliance or international organisation”, adding that all of its activities would be carried out in accordance with international law, respect for state sovereignty and the protection of freedom of navigation.
Participants discussed the draft charter of the alliance, its reference documents, organisational structure, command-and-control arrangements, operating mechanisms and future steps.
They agreed that military planners would continue their work to finalise the charter and organisational structure and establish specialised technical teams, in preparation for the alliance’s formal launch and the commencement of its missions.
The alliance is being established at a time of mounting escalation in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab region, following the Houthi group’s announcement on July 20 of what it described as a “naval blockade” against Saudi Arabia, followed by claims that it had targeted Saudi vessels with missiles and drones.
In response, the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s government announced measures to protect ships transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Saudi forces also carried out air strikes on sites at the port of Hodeidah, which they said included military facilities used by the Houthis to threaten commercial shipping.
Threats to navigation in Bab al-Mandab, coupled with tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, have driven up shipping and insurance costs and prompted a number of ships and tankers to divert around the African continent, fuelling concerns over energy security and the stability of international trade.
The new defensive maritime alliance is separate from the Saudi-led coalition that has supported Yemen’s government since 2015. The new framework is focused on protecting freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden through multinational participation.
