In recent months, four of at least 15 cables running through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the southern Red Sea – the cables that connect Europe with Asia and carry up to 17% of all global Internet traffic – have been damaged in recent months.. According to one version, the blame for the incident lies with the Yemeni Houthi militants.
Image source: WikiImages / pixabay.com
Among the damaged cables were EIG, AAE-1, Seacom and TGN-EA, reports the Israeli publication Globes. Seacom has confirmed a break in its cable between Kenya and Egypt. As for the remaining cables, the EIG (European India Gateway) connects Southern Europe with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Djibouti, UAE and India. The TGN-EA cable is owned by Indian Tata Communications. And AAE-1 connects East Asia to Europe through Egypt.
In December, one of the Telegram channels associated with the Houthi militants published a map of cables running along the bottom of the Red Sea.. The recording was accompanied by a message that Yemen is located at a strategic point where there are Internet lines connecting not just countries, but entire continents. Telecommunications companies linked to Yemen's UN-recognized government have warned of possible sabotage.. The damage caused by the broken communication lines was “significant, but not critical”, with several intact cables still remaining.. Seacom said it was rerouting traffic to alternative lines.
Image source: submarinecablemap.com
Repairing damaged cables can be challenging. The work will take at least eight weeks and workers risk being attacked by militants. Of the damaged lines, the most important is AAE-1 – its length is about 24,850 km, and it connects Southeast Asia with Europe.
The Houthis reportedly do not have the submersibles needed to damage the cables, but in some places the communication lines lie at a depth of 100 m, which makes it possible to attack the cables without modern technical means.