African shore of global power: Who governs waters of Guardafui?
Damage in the aftermath of Houthi strikes on the Red Sea port city of Mocha, Yemen on August 10, 2026. From late 2023, the Houthis showed how armed power projected from one shore could redirect global shipping and alter the regional balance.
Photo credit: Al Joumhouriya TV | Handout via REUTERS
Ships approaching Suez from the western Indian Ocean enter the Gulf of Aden through waters framed by Puntland’s Ras Aseyr, historically known as Cape Guardafui, and the Socotra archipelago. This is the Guardafui Channel. From there, the route continues west through Bab el Mandab into the Red Sea.
Bab el Mandab dominates strategic maps because its narrow waters expose shipping to disruption. Guardafui receives attention mainly in studies of piracy and navigation. Yet it poses the larger African question. Who governs the waters approaching the chokepoint, and who benefits from the ports, fisheries, military access and digital infrastructure along its African shore?
