A company owned by Tarek bin Laden, the half-brother of Osama Bin Laden, is negotiating with the governments of Djibouti and Yemen to build a bridge across the Red Sea, connecting the two countries. The bridge would make it easier for pilgrims to reach Mecca, and might alleviate the number of refugees from Somalia who drown each year, trying to reach Yemen from Djibouti by sea. New cities would be constructed at each terminus of the bridge.