Bab-el-Mandeb Strait
A Global Chokepoint
The Bab-el-Mandeb ("Gate of Tears") is a narrow strait separating Yemen (Arabian Peninsula) from Djibouti and Eritrea (Horn of Africa), connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. It became globally significant after the Suez Canal opened in 1869, enabling Asia-Europe trade to bypass the Cape of Good Hope route around Africa.
- Roughly 10-12% of global maritime trade and about a quarter of global container traffic transits the strait in normal conditions
- It is considered the world's third-busiest oil chokepoint after the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca
- Houthi attacks since late 2023 (in response to the Israel-Hamas conflict) caused shipping traffic through the strait to fall to less than half its normal volume, forcing many vessels toward the longer Cape of Good Hope route
- It links directly to the Suez Canal at the Red Sea's northern end, making the two chokepoints functionally connected for Asia-Europe trade
● Tracked since July 13, 2026 · last seen August 06, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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