Mocha: When the sea turns from a bridge of connection into an arena of conflict

Mocha is an ancient and historic Yemeni city located on Yemen’s western coast along the Red Sea. Administratively, it belongs to Taiz Governorate, while geographically and culturally it forms part of the Tihama region — the coastal strip stretching along the Red Sea from southwestern Saudi Arabia to the western shores of Yemen. Geography has endowed Mocha with an exceptional location. It lies close to the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s most important maritime passages, and faces, across the African shore, the Horn of Africa — Djibouti in particular.