European Center Acknowledges the Reality of Power in the Red Sea… Sanaa’s Sovereignty Imposes New Equations Ahead of 2026

NYN | News 

A recent European strategic study has acknowledged the reality of the rapid transformations taking place in the Red Sea, in light of the notable military and logistical development demonstrated by the forces of the Sanaa government. The study considered this development a decisive factor that compels international powers—foremost among them Europe—to reconsider their security and maritime approaches in the coming phase.

The study, prepared by the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, highlighted that what it described as the “qualitative development” of the Sanaa government’s forces in the Red Sea has become a strong justification within European circles for calling to enhance cooperation among European naval forces and certain countries in the region, in an attempt to confront a new reality that has imposed itself on one of the world’s most important maritime passages.

The Red Sea at the Top of Europe’s 2026 Agenda

The study revealed the European Union’s readiness to give the Red Sea issue top priority during 2026, in a clear acknowledgment of the importance of this vital corridor—not only from an economic and commercial perspective, but also in terms of the military and security balances that now govern navigation within it.

The study called for raising the level of security coordination between European states and the countries bordering the Red Sea, pointing in particular to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and some Gulf states as parties directly concerned with developments in this strategic maritime artery.

Intelligence Sharing and Digital Security

The European study emphasized that the next phase requires strengthening the exchange of intelligence information as a top priority, along with improving mechanisms for information sharing between Gulf states, Egypt, and European countries, under the pretext of enhancing maritime security in the Red Sea.

It also stressed that such coordination should not be limited to traditional military aspects, but must also include issues of digital security and supply chains—an implicit acknowledgment of the complexity of the security landscape and the interconnection of tools of power and influence in the region.

Support for Coalition-Aligned Coast Guards

In a related context, the study—prepared by six European researchers—clarified that there is a European need to enhance cooperation with Gulf states in order to grant the Red Sea greater priority within regional maritime dialogue.

To that end, the study called for providing support to coast guard forces loyal to the Saudi-Emirati coalition in Yemen, a step that reflects growing European concern over the new balance of power imposed by the Sanaa government’s forces along the Red Sea.

Theoretical Calls Versus Field Reality

Despite the European calls contained in the study to limit the capabilities of the Sanaa government’s forces in the Red Sea, it implicitly acknowledged that these calls do not go beyond the theoretical framework, given what it described as an American and regional inability to confront the accumulated military and logistical capabilities of Sanaa.

The study affirmed that these capabilities have granted the Sanaa government’s forces effective fire control over the waters opposite the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the most important strategic maritime passages in the world.

Imposed Sovereignty and a New Equation

The substance of the European study reflects a growing acknowledgment that the Red Sea is no longer an open arena as it once was, and that the reality of power imposed by Sanaa has become a key factor in shaping regional and international maritime security equations.

As 2026 approaches, Europe’s belated recognition of this reality appears to open the door to a new phase of tensions, the most prominent headline of which is: field sovereignty imposed by the Sanaa government’s forces, and international attempts to reposition themselves in the face of an equation that can no longer be ignored.