In recent years, the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea corridor have emerged as one of the most critical geopolitical theaters in international politics, situated at the intersection of global trade routes, energy security, maritime transportation, and military competition. Rising security risks across the Red Sea corridor, attacks targeting maritime shipping, vulnerabilities surrounding energy supply security, and the growing spillover of great power rivalry into the region have elevated the Horn of Africa into a strategic center not only for regional stability, but also for the broader global economic and geopolitical order. At the same time, escalating tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia over sea access, increasing competition surrounding alternative ports and trade corridors, and the political and humanitarian repercussions of the civil war in Sudan have further intensified the fragility of regional power balances. This evolving geopolitical landscape, shaped by maritime access, strategic ports, logistics networks, and energy connectivity, demonstrates that the Horn of Africa is no longer defined solely by security crises, but also by competing visions for a new regional order. Within this context, Türkiye’s role in the region has also evolved, positioning Ankara as a more visible actor not only through economic engagement, but also through diplomatic mediation, security cooperation, energy diplomacy, and efforts to establish strategic balance across the region.
This session will examine the changing regional dynamics in the Horn of Africa through the interconnected challenges of Red Sea security, competition over maritime access, port politics, and the wider regional consequences of ongoing conflicts. The discussion will explore the diplomatic process between Somalia and Ethiopia, the regional implications of the war in Sudan, emerging areas of competition surrounding energy and trade corridors, and Türkiye’s multidimensional strategic engagement across the Horn of Africa. Bringing together debates on connectivity, maritime security, regional diplomacy, and geopolitical competition, the session will assess how Türkiye is positioning itself not merely as an observer of crises, but as a new-generation geopolitical actor seeking to establish regional balance and promote long-term stability in one of the world’s most strategically contested regions.
Discussion Themes:
- Rising security threats across the Red Sea corridor, the militarization of maritime trade routes, energy supply vulnerabilities, and the growing fragility of global logistics networks are turning the Horn of Africa into one of the central theaters of great power competition. How can the global economic consequences of regional crises be managed?
- Ethiopia’s search for sea access, competition over alternative port projects, and escalating tensions with Somalia are reshaping debates around sovereignty, connectivity, and strategic infrastructure in the Horn of Africa. Is the region moving toward a new framework for cooperation or a deeper geopolitical fragmentation?
- The political, economic, and humanitarian repercussions of the war in Sudan are affecting not only neighboring states but also Red Sea security, migration dynamics, and broader regional stability. What would a sustainable regional security architecture in the Horn of Africa look like?
- Türkiye’s expanding diplomatic, economic, security, and energy engagement in the Horn of Africa, particularly in Somalia, is positioning Ankara not only as an economic partner but also as a strategic actor seeking to establish regional balance. Could Türkiye’s approach offer a new model for regional diplomacy and stabilization?