MTV’s Cribs: Bab al-Mandab Edition “Believe it or not, today we are at the most important point in the world. We are in Bab al-Mandab,” a Houthi warrior said, standing with his comrades on Perim – the volcanic island jutting out in the center of the immensely strategically important strait. “This is the Red Sea. This is Mayun Island [Perim’s Arabic name, ed.], and this is the continent of Africa. Here is the Gulf of Aden, and over there is the Arabian Sea