The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt are finalizing plans to build a 30-mile causeway, linking the continents of Asia and Africa. The estimated US $3 billion project will link Saudi Port of Ras Humaid, in the northern region of Tabuk, to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, in the southern tip of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. A consortium of Saudi, Kuwaiti and Egyptian partners are involved in the projected 5-year construction project. Undoubtedly, such a bridge would have a great socio-economic and political impact on the region.
However, we are concerned about the potential terrorism threats that could arise with the development of an easily accessible link between the regions terrorist intelligence and logistical hubs.
Pros and Cons of the Causeway
As with any development project, there are a number of inevitable risks involved. The construction of a bridge spanning across the Gulf of Aqaba connecting Saudi Arabia and Egypt has been in various stages of development for the past 20 years. With 50,000 to 70,000 Egyptian pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia every year to visit the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the construction of the bridge will make it easier and cheaper to travel. Currently, the only landmass that connects the two countries is Israel, which most Arab states do not recognize.
Moreover, there are more than one million Egyptian citizens working in Saudi Arabia. Workers and pilgrims currently use ferries to travel across the Gulf. However, last year 1,000 people were killed when an overcrowded ferry sank in the Red Sea. Since then, the service has been reduced. The causeway would make it easier for passenger and cargo traffic between Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and also between other Gulf nations and northeast Africa. The economic benefits of such a development would be rewarding for Egypt, whose economy continues to suffer.
Although there are many factors indicating that the causeway will be beneficial and profitable for both countries, its implications on future terrorism threats could be mutually detrimental.
Egypt is currently used as an intellectual and logistical hub for terrorists.
• In December 2006, an international terrorist cell operating in Cairo and Alexandra was dismantled (Previous Report).
• In November 2006 and again in February 2007, several tons of explosives were unearthed in the Sinai Peninsula (Previous Report) and authorities foiled a terrorist attack in the latter incident (Previous Report).
• In recent years, the Sinai has also been the scene for several major terrorist attacks — the most significant attack was in the same resort town, Sharm el-Sheik, which will be linked to Saudi (Terrorist Incident, Terrorist Incident).
Moreover, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hosts the al-Qaeda group in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which has become more active in recent months.
• In April 2007, 172 terror suspects were arrested in Saudi Arabia (Previous Report).
• In November 2006, AQAP called for attacks against United States oil suppliers around the world (Previous Report).
While Egypt is an intellectual hub, the Kingdom is largely a financial center for terrorists. The potential for terrorists across the Red Sea to more conveniently collaborate and utilize the other’s services to execute attacks is significant.
Additionally, the potential for terrorists to access the bridge and transport materials across borders would be increased. With the development of such an easy link across the Gulf, dormant or inactive terrorists could take advantage of the 30-mile trip to execute their operations more efficiently and quickly.
Forecast: Tight Security Needed
In order to minimize the potential threat of attacks on either side of the Red Sea, governments must ensure that they implement the highest level of security at both ends of the causeway.
Checkpoints, border controls, and detection equipment are some of the security elements that should be implemented. Given the level of terrorist activity in both countries and the level of threat in the region, state security officials must be willing to cooperate with one another in order to effectively deter potential terrorist attacks.
The causeway will likely lead to large economic and political gains for Egypt and Saudi Arabia; however, if the necessary precautions are not met, a promising future could quickly turn into a regretful present.