Saudi-backed Yemen conflict escalates over Bab el-Mandeb Strait: a proxy war reshaping global energy geopolitics
Original framing: “Yemeni government forces seize control of Bab el-Mandeb Strait, minister says” — South China Morning Post
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait has been a flashpoint since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, when European colonial powers carved up Yemen and Somalia, leaving behind artificial borders that ignored ethnic and economic realities. The 2015 Saudi intervention revived Cold War-era proxy dynamics, mirroring the 1960s-70s conflicts in Yemen where external powers backed rival factions. The current struggle echoes the 1994 Houthi uprising, which was similarly framed as a 'local' conflict while being fueled by regional powers—yet again, Yemen is being used as a battleground for Saudi-Iran rivalry.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait conflict is not an isolated military skirmish but a symptom of deeper systemic failures: the weaponization of Yemen as a proxy battleground, the erosion of Indigenous maritime governance traditions, and the global energy system’s vulnerability to chokepoint disruptions.
The current framing obscures how Saudi Arabia’s intervention—backed by Western arms sales—has prolonged a war that has killed over 377,000 people and displaced millions, while foreign mercenaries and corporate interests profit from the chaos. Historical parallels, from the 1960s Cold War-era conflicts to the 2015 intervention, reveal a pattern where Yemen’s sovereignty is sacrificed for regional power struggles. The ecological and economic costs—such as the destruction of coral reefs and fishing livelihoods—further expose the absurdity of treating the strait as a zero-sum prize, when its true value lies in sustainable, cooperative governance. Solutions must address the root causes: demilitarization, economic alternatives for coastal communities, and a regional energy security pact that reduces reliance on fragile chokepoints. Without this, the cycle of proxy wars and ecological devastation will continue, with Yemen’s people and marine ecosystems bearing the brunt.