Brussels – Greater efforts are needed to counter the Houthi threat in the Red Sea, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, said in a letter sent to the 27 foreign and defence ministers on Saturday (19 September), outlining the need for greater deployment of ships and aircraft in the region. The request comes after the Houthis – a predominantly Shia armed group that has controlled part of Yemen for several years now – seized control of the port of Mocha, the island of Perim, and the Hanish Islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic chokepoint situated “along a key international transit route.”
In her letter, Kallas emphasised that, as well as posing “a serious threat to maritime security,” the armed group’s control of the route “is already affecting European interests, with repercussions for our supply chains and could have implications for our ability to sustain our economies, which are already being hit by rising fuel prices.” At present, “although the Houthis claim they intend to target only interests linked to Saudi Arabia, uncertainties remain regarding their actions towards ships transiting through the Strait,” Kallas said in the letter. Therefore, “the situation may evolve rapidly and unpredictably” and “we must take action to address this new threat,” she added.
Ahead of the forthcoming meetings of the Defence and Foreign Affairs Councils – due to take place in September and October, respectively – the former Estonian Prime Minister, now at the helm of the EU’s foreign policy, urged ministers to reflect “to suggest possible actions the EU could take to address this major challenge.” That is to say, “current and future actions that our two naval operations in the region, ASPIDES and ATALANTA, might envisage.” The aim is to equip the EU “with more numerous and well-equipped naval and air assets to cope with the increased threat level, including greater capabilities to ensure close protection.” While noting that the EUNAVFOR ASPIDES mission “continues to support freedom of navigation through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait based on resources provided by Member States,” in the current context marked by heightened tensions “in the field of security, we must be able to substantially increase our presence to ensure that the operation can fully fulfil its mandate”. What is at stake? “Protecting our interests in terms of security and prosperity, as well as our credibility as a guarantor of security,” she concluded.
The European Union established ASPIDES – which in Greek means “shields” – to ensure freedom of navigation and protect merchant ships from attacks originating from the mainland while transiting off the coast of Yemen. Similarly, in 2008 the EU launched the ATALANTA military operation, designed to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
