[News in War History] The Red Sea Strait Blocked by Yemeni Rebels, the Story Behind the 'Gate of Tears'

Pirate- and Accident-Prone Strait Since Ancient Times
Yemen Chaos: The Middle Eastern Three Kingdoms
Somali Pirates Who Also Drove Out IS and Al-Qaeda

The Yemeni Houthi rebels' indiscriminate attacks on oil tankers and trade vessels in the Red Sea trade route have triggered a global logistics crisis. Many cargos traveling between Europe and Asia are unable to use the shortest maritime routes?the Suez Canal and the Red Sea trade route?and are instead diverted to the longer detour around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, causing significant losses.

The strait blockaded by the Houthi rebels is very narrow and has been known since ancient times as the "Gate of Tears" due to frequent piracy and various incidents, making it difficult to resolve the situation easily. Behind this lies the complex political instability of Yemen, often called the "Middle Eastern Three Kingdoms," and the severe chaos in Somalia, where piracy has become a regional industry.

In this segment, we will explore the history of the Red Sea trade route, entangled with such complex geopolitics, and the issue of the Houthi rebels' blockade.

Challenges in Forming a Multinational Fleet... U.S. Also Concerned About Poor Cost-Effectiveness

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Let's start with the news. According to CNN, the multinational fleet launched by the U.S. on the 18th in response to the threat from the Houthi rebels, called "Operation Prosperity Guardian," has seen low participation rates.

Earlier, the U.S. government announced the launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian, stating that more than 10 allied countries including the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles, and Spain would join. Subsequently, over 20 additional countries such as Greece and Australia reportedly applied to participate.

However, allied countries are reluctant to actively participate. The Italian Ministry of Defense declared that, rather than under U.S. command, it would dispatch ships to the Red Sea at the request of its own shipowners, asserting independent protection of Italian vessels. France also expressed support for efforts to secure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea but drew a line by stating that French vessels would be under French command.

Spain outright refused to participate in Operation Prosperity Guardian and opposed the use of Atalanta, the existing European Union (EU) anti-piracy operation. Australia initially declined the U.S. request to send warships to the Red Sea but later agreed to dispatch only military personnel. Most U.S. allies in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, have opposed the formation of the fleet itself.

This reflects the overall international community's atmosphere of reluctance to intervene hastily in Middle Eastern issues, especially as the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas shows signs of prolonged escalation.

Bab al-Mandab Strait at the Entrance of the Red Sea... "Gate of Tears"

A 17th-century illustration depicting the port of Mocha, a major harbor near the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Bab al-Mandab Strait, connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean where the Houthi rebels are attacking trade vessels, has been one of the most important trade routes since ancient times. Its name in Arabic means "Gate of Tears." This area is home to numerous ports along the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt, and the strait itself is narrow, making it a hotspot for piracy and frequent maritime accidents due to strong currents.

This strait is also closely linked to the history of coffee. The nearby port of Mocha in Yemen, famous for coffee trade, is located here. The popular caf? menu item "Caff? Mocha" derives its name from this port.

In the past, this was a crucial port for exporting coffee beans to the Middle East and Europe. During the medieval period, the rulers of Mocha forced all coffee beans to be roasted before export to prevent other countries from cultivating coffee, a practice that significantly influenced the development of modern coffee.

After the 6th century, as the overland Silk Road became dangerous due to conflicts between the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sassanid Persian Empire, this strait became a major maritime trade route. It flourished for a time after the Ottoman Turkish Empire conquered the Eastern Mediterranean region in the 17th century. However, from the 19th century onward, the decline of the Ottoman Empire, continuous rebellions by local rulers, and invasions by Western powers such as Britain and France led to ongoing political instability.

'Middle Eastern Three Kingdoms' in Progress in Yemen, Somalia Turned into a Living Hell

March of the Yemeni Houthi rebels. [Image source=EPA·Yonhap News]

The region that exploded with overlapping political instability after the 19th century is modern-day Yemen. Yemen was often listed in textbooks as a divided country until the 1980s. North Yemen, aligned with the free world, was established in 1962, and South Yemen, aligned with the communist bloc, gained independence from Britain in 1967, leading to confrontation until their unification in 1990.

After unification by mutual agreement, Yemen was plunged into civil war again. In 1994, North Yemen, supported militarily by Saudi Arabia, forcibly unified the country, but large and small civil wars continued. Since 2009, the Houthi rebels, backed by Iran and based in northern Yemen, have intensified divisions, and fighting between the Houthis and government forces has continued since 2014.

Currently, Yemen is described as a "Middle Eastern Three Kingdoms." The north is controlled by the Houthi rebels, the center by government forces, and the south by a coalition of other warlords called the Transitional Council, dividing the country into three major parts. Meanwhile, branches of the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda have established themselves in various areas, plunging the country into extreme military and political chaos. The government forces' inability to control the Houthis has led to threats extending to the Red Sea trade route.

Moreover, just across the sea, Somalia has been in continuous civil war since 1991. Somali pirates, born out of this conflict, became relatively familiar to us through South Korea's Cheonghae Unit's "Dawn of Aden" operation in 2011. The coastal areas of Somalia have been completely dominated by pirates, turning trade vessel plundering into a regional industry. They remain a major force threatening the Red Sea trade route.

As political instability in these neighboring regions prolongs, the day when tears cease at the Gate of Tears still seems far off. We hope the international community's cooperation will help overcome this crisis successfully.