Le détroit de Bab el-Mandeb : frictions littorales et maritimes

Abstract

This article analyzes coastal and maritime frictions by examining the relationship between globalized maritime flows and maritime security. From the coast, local or regional players can influence global maritime exchanges that take place offshore. The case of the Bab el-Mandeb strait and its natural extensions (Southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden) provides a good illustration of this : a major maritime traffic route, the strait is characterized by the presence of Somali piracy, mainly between 1995 and 2015, as well as by the extension at sea of the civil war in Yemen, which has turned into a regional conflict. This research, based on maritime data as well as an in-depth study of the regional context, seeks to identify the influences of acts of violence on the various trades of the Bab el-Mandeb strait. The impact of political contexts in coastal states on maritime flows in open seas seems to depend on the geographical scale, with a more significant effect at regional and local levels than at the global level. Nevertheless, the crucial factor lies in the ability of maritime actors to reduce the dissipation of energy resulting from these tensions.

Keywords

• conflict
• security/safety
• ocean
• sea
• Gulf of Aden