Global markets rarely reveal their vulnerabilities quietly. They do so when shipping lanes are threatened, energy prices rise or supply chains fracture. Few regions illustrate this reality more clearly than the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are now one of the world’s most contested maritime corridors. What unfolds along these waters is no longer local. It shapes economic security in the Arab world and beyond.
Yet, amid the growing attention to this strategic corridor, one factor continues to be underestimated: Somalia.
For decades, Somalia was seen primarily through conflict and fragility. That narrative no longer reflects today’s reality. The country is undergoing a consequential transition, moving away from prolonged instability, rebuilding state institutions and re-emerging as a sovereign actor with increasing regional relevance. Situated at the intersection of the Arab world, Africa, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Somalia is not peripheral to regional stability; It is at the center.
Geography alone explains much of this significance. With the longest coastline in mainland Africa, Somalia borders the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the vast Indian Ocean. A major share of global maritime trade and energy shipments pass through this corridor. Disruptions off Somalia’s coast therefore have immediate implications for shipping reliability, energy markets and food security – issues of direct concern to Gulf states and Arab economies.
For the Arab world, Somalia should not be perceived as a distant region but as a leading partner in regional security. Whether in the form of violent extremism, illegal smuggling networks, piracy or a hostile external military presence on the eastern side of Africa, Somalia’s coastal stability helps combat threats before they reach the Arabian Peninsula.
Somalia is not trying to build stability from scratch. Despite continuing challenges, tangible progress has been made. Federal governance structures are in place. National security forces are becoming professionalised. Public financial management has improved. Politically, Somalia has reasserted itself in the Arab League, African Union and multilateral forums. These gains continue to build daily and reflect a clear commitment to sovereign statehood, regional unity and partnership rather than dependency. Somalia today seeks strategic alignment based on mutual interest, not charity.
Somalia’s relevance also goes beyond security. Its membership of the East African Community integrates the country into one of the world’s fastest growing population and consumer sectors. East Africa’s rapid demographic expansion, urbanization and economic integration position Somalia as a natural bridge between Gulf capital and African growth markets.
Somalia has a clear opportunity to emerge as a logistics and transshipment gateway connecting the Gulf, Red Sea, East Africa and the Indian Ocean. With targeted investments in ports, transport corridors and maritime security, Somalia can become an important node in regional supply chains supporting trade diversification, food security and economic resilience in the Arab world.
At the heart of Somalia’s potential is its dynamic population. More than 70 percent of Somalis are under the age of 30. This generation is increasingly urban, digitally connected and entrepreneurial. Somali traders and business networks already operate in southern and eastern Africa, covering logistics, finance, retail and services. A large and dynamic diaspora in the Gulf, Europe, North America and Africa further enhances this reach through remittances, investment and international expertise.
However, none of this momentum can survive without security. A competent, nationally legitimate Somali security sector is the foundation for sustainable stability, investment confidence and regional integration.
For the Gulf states and the wider Arab world, supporting Somalia’s security sector is not an act of altruism. It is a strategic investment in a reliable stable partner. Effective Somali security institutions contribute directly to protecting the maritime corridors of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, countering international terrorism before it reaches Arab shores, protecting emerging logistics infrastructure, and denying outside actors opportunities to exploit governance vacuums. Such support should prioritize institution-building, Somali ownership and long-term sustainability, not short-term fixes or proxy contests.
The stakes are rising. The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are entering a period of strategic conflict. Fragmentation on their African coast poses a direct threat to the collective security of the Arabs. Recent developments underscore this urgency.
Israel’s unilateral recognition of Somaliland’s northern Somali region, outside the international legal framework and without Somali consent, is widely seen as an attempt to gain a military foothold in these strategic waters, threatening to introduce an Arab-Israeli conflict into the Gulf security environment.
There are even more troubling stories, including those advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, with proposals to resettle them against their will in Somaliland. Such ideas, whether formally advanced or not, represent serious violations of international law and human dignity. Exporting occupation and the effects of war to African soil will not solve the conflict; It will multiply.
For the Arab world, this should serve as a wake-up call. Allowing outside actors to fragment sovereign states or use fragile regions as instruments for unresolved conflicts has long-term consequences. Somalia’s unity and stability, therefore, aligns with core Arab strategic interests and long-standing Arab positions on sovereignty, justice and self-determination.
Somalia is ready to be part of the solution. With calibrated strategic support, especially in security sector development and logistics infrastructure, Somalia can emerge as a cornerstone of stability in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, a gateway to East Africa and a long-term partner for the Arab world.
The question is whether Somalia is important in the regional and global Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. It is whether the region will act on that reality before others.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.