From piracy and migrant smuggling to disruptions affecting global shipping routes, countries bordering one of the world’s busiest waterways are seeking closer cooperation to stay ahead of fast-evolving maritime threats.
As maritime tensions ripple across parts of the Middle East, security officials from Ethiopia, Yemen, Djibouti and Somalia gathered in Nairobi this week to tackle a shared concern: how to protect the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from growing threats that no country can manage alone.
The two-day Maritime Law Enforcement Dialogue, facilitated by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) with support from the European Union, INTERPOL, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), focused on strengthening information-sharing and cooperation across the region.
For officials attending, the timing was hard to ignore.
“If you are talking about threats, the current attacks on the freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz have an impact on Gulf of Aden because [they are] affecting maritime security. Pirates use this opportunity and the distraction of the maritime forces globally to do more attacks in this area, because they know that everyone is busy [looking in another direction],” said Abdurrahim Muhammad Ali of the Djibouti Maritime Authority.
© UN Nairobi
Mostafa Elbanna, Global Maritime Crime Gulf of Aden and Red Sea Programme Coordinator and Head of Office Somalia at the 5th Regional Maritime Law Enforcement Dialogue for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Threats without borders
The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden form one of the world’s most important maritime corridors, linking regional economies to international markets. Any disruption can affect shipping routes, supply chains and the movement of goods far beyond the region.
According to Mostafa Elbanna, UNODC’s Regional Coordinator for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden under its Global Maritime Crime Programme, the region faces a complex mix of interconnected challenges.
“[This is a great time] to have this kind of discussions and dialogue with different agencies and law enforcement to talk about their challenges, and also the way forward when it comes to maritime security,” he said.
Among the chief concerns are piracy, illegal fishing, trafficking in persons, migrant smuggling and narcotics trafficking. Officials say developments in one part of the region increasingly have consequences elsewhere, making information-sharing and coordinated responses more important than ever.
While piracy levels remain well below their peak more than a decade ago, Mr. Elbanna noted that countries are now better equipped to respond through stronger law enforcement, improved data collection and greater regional cooperation.
© UN Nairobi
Participants at the 5th Regional Maritime Law Enforcement Dialogue for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The economic stakes
For landlocked Ethiopia, maritime security is about more than law enforcement. It is an economic necessity.
Captain Kibru Mesfin of the Ethiopian Maritime Authority said most of the country’s trade passes through neighbouring Djibouti, making secure sea lanes critical to the national economy.
Disruptions to maritime routes can increase shipping and insurance costs, delay essential goods and undermine export capacity, he noted, placing additional pressure on businesses and consumers alike.
Mr. Mesfin argued that stronger links between maritime authorities, coast guards and law enforcement agencies across the region are essential to keeping trade flowing.
He called for more organized and harmonized systems for sharing maritime information among neighbouring countries, including Djibouti, Yemen and Somalia.
Establishing a National Maritime Information Centre and strengthening regional connections, he said, would help authorities access timely information needed to support maritime security and decision-making.
© UN Nairobi
Participants at the 5th Regional Maritime Law Enforcement Dialogue for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
A shared challenge
Officials from across the region stressed that the threats they face are often the same, regardless of national borders.
Mr. Ali listed maritime terrorism, illegal fishing, robbery, trafficking, irregular migration and smuggling among Djibouti’s primary concerns.
“The practical outcome is to get closer and share information from Yemen, Somalia and Ethiopia. We have the same challenges,” he said.
Throughout the dialogue, participants discussed ways to improve maritime domain awareness, strengthen operational cooperation and develop more coordinated responses to incidents at sea.
What came through loud and clear was that in a region where criminal networks and security threats move easily across borders, cooperation remains one of the most effective tools for protecting seafarers, safeguarding trade and maintaining stability along some of the world’s busiest shipping routes.