Yemeni Forces Are Trying to Retake a Strait That Sits Near Djibouti

DW describes the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as one that Yemeni government forces are trying to take back from the Houthis, and notes that it lies not far from Djibouti and other African states. That bit of geography is the useful part. A campaign for a strait is never only about the water between two coasts: with Djibouti and other African states close by, the fighting sits at their doorstep whether they chose that or not. The proximity does not determine how the war goes, but it determines who has reason to watch it closely.