Situated on the horn of eastern Africa where the Red Sea meets the Indian Ocean, Djibouti is surrounded by volatility on both land and sea. To the northwest is Eritrea, west is Ethiopia, and southeast is Somalia. Just beyond the narrow waters of the Red Sea separating Africa from the Middle East is Yemen. From Yemen, in support of their Iranian sponsors, Houthi militias have been launching missiles and drones at Israel and ships traveling to and from the Suez Canal.
Twelve percent of all global trade and 30 percent of container shipping passes through the Suez Canal each year. In 2021, European-Asian trade was in chaos when one ship accidentally blocked the Suez Canal for six days. Should Houthi militias cause the shutdown of Red Sea shipping lanes, the result would be economic anarchy.
