IMPACT OF HOUTHI MOVEMENT IN THE RED SEA ON SUDAN’S NATIONAL SECURITY

Dr. Musab Ibrahim Muhammad

Garden City University

Abstract

The Red Sea is considered of strategic importance to the Arab countries in general and Sudan in particular. The importance of the Red Sea stems from being an Arab strategic depth, in addition to its geopolitical characteristics, which in turn have become a magnet for regional and inter- national forces. Such forces are eager to play a vital role in the region to achieve their interests, and to take advantage of the economic conditions, political turmoil and the collapse of state institutions in some bordering countries. Moreover, Sudan has the coast on the Red Sea, which requires attention to its security. This study provided a different perspective for the security of the Red Sea through several different and diverse entry points. The study recommends the establishment of a regional organization that includes all countries on the Red Sea, through which political, economic and security issues will be discussed. This study attempts to shed light on the geopolitical importance of the Red Sea and attempt to find an approach to defining the Red Sea and maritime strategy, as many of the Arab countries bordering it share the collective responsibility for its protection, and after both the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the entrances to the Red Sea are among the most important sites affecting its security and movement. Navigation in it is of strategic and economic importance, and the security of the Red Sea is part of the security of the countries surrounding it, in addition to its importance to the major countries with regard to the movement of navigation in it and the connection between this and the commercial and economic interests of those countries. The movement of interaction has recently increased at the regional level, especially with the emergence of new players in the Red Sea arena, such as Iran and the Houthi group it supports, in addition to the interest of the major powers in the continuity of shipping traffic in it, and an attempt to study the impact of this and ways to interact with these variables.