Sanaa sends message to Cairo over Red Sea security

SANAA, Sept. 11 (YPA) – Sanaa has sent a direct political message to Cairo, rejecting Saudi efforts to portray recent developments along Yemen’s western coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait as a threat to Egypt and international shipping.

Abdul Malek al-Ajri, a member of Sanaa’s negotiating delegation, said in a post on X that Egypt’s security and broader Arab regional security are part of Yemen’s national security.

“Egypt’s security, in particular, and Arab regional security in general, are part of Yemen’s national security,” al-Ajri said, stressing that “what threatens them threatens us.”

Al-Ajri said bringing foreign military bases to the region’s shores poses the greatest threat to Arab and Islamic integration.

He likened the presence of foreign forces to “bringing snakes into the yard of your home when you cannot control them, allowing them to move freely and threaten the security and lives of everyone in the house.”

His remarks came amid debate over recent developments along Yemen’s western coast and concerns over their impact on Red Sea shipping.

On Thursday, Sanaa’s Supreme Political Council and the ministries of defense and foreign affairs said international shipping in the Red Sea remains safe for global companies, with the exception of Saudi shipping.

They also said the developments along the western coast fall within Yemen’s sovereign affairs.

Sanaa has stressed that Yemen’s actions along its coastline should not be conflated with threats to international shipping or the interests of Arab countries bordering the Red Sea, particularly Egypt.

At the same time, Sanaa has warned against the presence of foreign military bases and forces along the region’s shores, arguing that Red Sea security should be based on respect for the sovereignty of its littoral states and arrangements that ensure safe navigation.

@E.Y.M