Eritrea: An emerging key player in the geopolitical gamble at the Horn

Across the Horn of Africa , geopolitical interests of various countries continue to cause tensions and conflict as part of the growing competition for political influence over the region.

In its own right, the small country of Eritrea appears to be gaining in importance within this context: The autocratic state run by long-standing ruler Isaias Afewerki controls strategically important coastal points on the Red Sea, especially with its ports of Assab and Massawa.

In July, a series of diplomatic consultations in Cairo involving regional powers like Egypt, Somalia , Eritrea, and a high-ranking US envoy highlighted Eritrea's growing role in helping to coordinate approaches to resolving serious security challenges in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, and to facilitate trade.

Eritrea's unique location along this maritime route is notably becoming more and more strategic in light of international trade conflicts. The small nation's coastline near the Bab-al-Mandab Strait stretches for more than 1,000 kilometers (621.4 miles), bordering Sudan to the northwest and Djibouti to its southeast.

But Eritrea's main strategic importance relies on who is on the other side of the strait, which at its narrowest point measures fess than 30 kilometers.

"Yemen lies on the other side of the Red Sea , which makes Eritrea's location particularly interesting, as Yemen is in a state of crisis and maritime security in the region is at risk," Abdurahman Sayed, director of the Horn of Africa Centre for Regional Integration (CRI) in London, told DW.

"The only safe route in this area runs through Eritrea, where there are currently no security concerns."

The Houthi terrorist militia , propped up by Iran, have been attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea from the Yemeni coastline.