Yemen plays great roles for maintaining stability in the African Horn and Red Sea

Disturbances in Somalia, the African Horn and the growth in piracy are a direct result of the international dispute over the control of maritime routes and energy resources in the Gulf of Aden, Read Sea and Indian Ocean, said participants attending a forum held at Ali Bin Zayed hall in Sana’a University, Yemen on Sunday March 22. The forum attracted a wide variety of participants, including 22 lecturers, professors of history and experts in Yemeni African affairs from Yemen, France and Djibouti. The forum entitled ‘Yemen and the African Horn’ was organized by Sana’a University in collaboration with the French Embassy in Yemen and will run from March 22 to March 23. The Forum focused on Yemen’s historical relations with the African Horn and sought to highlight Yemen’s current role in maintaining security, stability and peace in the African Horn, the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. The forum also focused on the significance of the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab for the international maritime, the Bab al-Mandab is one of seven world oil transit choke-points and one of the busiest martime transit point in the world. 140 vessels pass through the Bab al-Mandab from the Sues Canal and the Read Sea heading to south Asia and East and South Africa daily. The forum also discussed the growing concern of immigration from Africa to Yemen, smuggling and piracy as well as the burdens Yemen has been shouldering as a result of these problems and the roles Yemen has been playing to restore stability to Somalia and to the African Horn in General. At the inauguration ceremony Dr. Abdul Kareem al-Eryani , political advisor to President Saleh tackled the conflict in the African Horn and talked about the historical relations between Yemen and the African Horn states in the East of Africa. Dr. al-Eryani stressed the importance of brining attention to the effects of the dispute in the African Horn and in Somalia in particular which has resulted in mass migration from the African Horn particularly from Somalia to Yemen and placed significant burdens on the country. He also referred to Yemen’s continual calls to solve the Somali issue and the piracy crisis which is continuing despite international efforts to combat both. ..more..http://www.yobserver.com/reports/10016021.html