Kenya calls for global action to end Middle East crisis amid ship attacks

Kenya on Friday called on regional and international partners to pursue coordinated, peaceful solutions to the ongoing Middle East crisis following a wave of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.



Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi voiced grave concern over Houthi attacks targeting commercial vessels, including Saudi oil tankers, along the critical shipping lane.



Threats to blockade the Bab al-Mandab Strait pose a direct risk to global maritime security and international trade, he said, warning that the attacks could exacerbate the crisis by disrupting key global supply chains, particularly for oil and fertilizer.



He added that continued instability in the shipping corridor would hamper international trade while driving up freight costs and maritime insurance premiums.



"The resulting increase in import and production costs is expected to heighten inflationary pressures in Kenya and the wider region," he said.