The geopolitical competition over the Horn of Africa States continues to grow. The country most affected apparently is Somalia, which owns the longest coast on the southern end of the Mediterranean/Indian Ocean link. New developments affecting the region include rivalries among the Gulf States, Israel, Türkiye, and of course the traditional major power competition for key influence over the major maritime corridors of the region.

Somalia’s coastline and proximity to Bab El Mandab place it squarely within the wide-arrowhead shaped seaway, which connects the Mediterranean Sea, Suez Canal, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This is a major waterway which carries not only global trade but also a significant amount of energy supplies, and where hence naval competition has been intensifying over the past decades. 

This has caused instability mostly in Somalia but also in other parts of the region such as Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and even as far as Sudan and South Sudan. Political instability in Somalia and in the region is no longer a domestic issue but a regional and international issue with the involvement of middle regional powers now becoming ever more apparent. Influence in Somalia  and the region is now being........

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