Saudi Arabia announces start of Red Sea defence alliance: Will it work?

Saudi Arabia and 13 other countries have confirmed the creation of a maritime military coalition to safeguard freedom of navigation through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, with more nations expected to join.

Bahrain, Bangladesh, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye and Yemen are the first to sign up.

On Thursday, the Saudi Ministry of Defence announced that 15 countries have signed a declaration, 13 of which have fully joined the coalition so far.

On July 30, the ministry had announced the creation of the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance as a framework to strengthen collective maritime defence cooperation.

The ministry described the coalition as “an open international coalition that welcomes the accession of all countries that align with its goals and principles”, adding that it continues to receive new membership applications.

On August 13, it posted on X: “The number of countries that signed the joint statement reached 15 countries, while 13 countries completed their national procedures, signed the coalition charter, and officially announced their accession.”

The statement came after the third meeting of the alliance, which was held on August 13 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“This represents the actual launch of the coalition towards the stage of institutional and operational activation, while the rest of the countries continue to complete the necessary national procedures to join the coalition,” the Saudi Defence Ministry added.