Русский
The Yemen-based Houthi militants have told Russia and China that their ships can sail freely through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden without fear of being attacked. An understanding was reached during talks in Oman involving Russian and Chinese diplomats and senior Houthi political figures.
The Houthi rebels have carried out dozens of drone and missile attacks on commercial vessels traversing the Red Sea, disrupting shipping traffic through one of the world’s most important maritime corridors. As a result, many major shipping companies have stopped using the Suez Canal and are instead redirecting ships around the Cape of Good Hope in Southern Africa.
The Houthis have been attacking ships they believe to be linked to Israel in what they claim is a show of “solidarity” with the Palestinian people in light of the war in Gaza. After the US and the UK conducted air strikes on Houthi facilities in Yemen, the group said it would now also attack ships affiliated with both nations. In exchange for promising safe passage for Russian and Chinese ships, the Houthis want the two countries to provide political support for the rebel group in international bodies such as the UN Security Council.
A senior Houthi political leader, Ali Alqhoom, declared recently on X that the group’s goal is “Sinking America, Britain and the West in the swamp of the Red Sea.” Last week, the Houthis’ leader, Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, vowed to expand the campaign to the Indian Ocean and hit vessels traveling around South Africa. British and American owned ships have already been sunk by the Houthi’s in the Red Sea, while European owned vessels have also been attacked. The issue is also affecting container throughput into Israel – its Eilat Port is having to lay off 50% of its employees as shipping dries up. Attacks on vessels in the Red Sea region have resulted in decreased traffic transiting the Suez Canal, a vital route between Asia and Europe that ordinarily handles about 15% of global maritime trade. Instead, Western owned shipping must travel around the African Cape, adding 4,000km and a further 15 days to the journey and significant adding to consumer prices in Europe. The deal with the Houthi’s will have the effect of making Chinese and Russian goods more competitive in both delivery times and costs.
