Saudi Arabia yesterday announced the establishment of the Council of Arab and African States bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud announced the signing of the charter of the council in a press conference held in the capital Riyadh.

The charter was signed by Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Eritrea, Egypt, the UN-recognised government of Yemen and Jordan.

Absent were Saudi’s usual allies and neighbours, the UAE and Bahrain, no details were given as to whether they would be joining the alliance at a later date.

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No military force is being setup as part of the new coalition, the Saudi minister said.

“I do not envision the creation of a new force over that establishment,” he said.

The minister stated that all countries have defence capabilities and bilateral coordination and this can develop into collective coordination.

The foreign ministers of the eight countries convened in Riyadh to discuss the establishment of the council.