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Saudi Arabia woos Horn of Africa states to protect Red Sea, Gulf of Aden

A satellite view of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on March 28, 2015 in Bab el-Mandeb, Yemen. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is located between Yemen and Djibouti, north of Somalia in the Horn of Africa, connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. PHOTO | USGS | NASA | GETTY IMAGES

By  Mawahib Abdallatif

Contributor

Nation Media Group

Saudi Arabia’s move to pool countries in the Horn of Africa into a co-operation council for the Red Sea and Gulf Aden suggests officials in Riyadh are desperate to pull the region from other Middle Eastern powers.

On January 6, Riyadh hosted several foreign ministers from the Horn countries to a meeting addressed by Saudi King Salman, where it was resolved that they will form the Council of Arab and African States on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

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