The Houthis’ reach into Africa should alarm the world
For more than a decade, the Houthis have inflicted immense suffering on Yemen and sown instability across the Middle East. Since taking control of the country’s north in 2014, the Iranian-backed rebels have deprived large segments of the population of basic services , launched projectiles into neighbouring countries and turned the Bab Al Mandeb strait into one of the world’s most dangerous…
Over the past decade, the Houthis have caused widespread hardship in Yemen and destabilized the Middle East. Following their takeover of the north in 2014, these Iranian-backed rebels have cut off essential services for many, attacked neighboring nations, and made the Bab Al Mandeb strait a hazardous shipping route. A recent report from the US-based non-partisan Century Foundation reveals that the group’s dangerous ambitions extend far beyond Yemen’s borders, a fact that should alarm leaders across the West, Middle East, and Africa.
The report highlights how the Houthis have established smuggling and training networks that stretch from the Red Sea into the Horn of Africa and Sudan, and their ties with Al Shabab, a Somali terrorist organization, and the Sudanese Armed Forces are becoming more formal. While current alliances are transactional, the report warns that they could evolve into lasting partnerships.
Al Shabab, which has links to Al Qaeda, has reportedly sought Houthi help in obtaining anti-aircraft weapons and drones to defend against aerial assaults. Although high-tech weaponry hasn’t yet reached Somali battlefields, this possibility could materialize at some point. Moreover, several Al Shabab operatives have been killed or detained in Yemen, some of whom admitted to setting up training camps with Houthi fighters.
The Houthis’ relationship with Sudan’s armed forces is more extensive, as the Yemeni group has facilitated the transfer of small arms and light weapons from Tehran. The Sudanese state-owned Military Industrial Corporation, closely allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces, has developed a drone similar to an Iranian design. Houthi engineers and agents have also trained SAF personnel alongside Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
There is evidence of Houthi activity in Eritrea as well, where they aim to establish a logistics network along the African coast of the Red Sea. This implies a Houthi-linked supply chain from northern Sudan to the Horn of Africa could connect three ongoing conflicts – Sudan’s civil war, the Somali insurgency, and the Red Sea shipping crisis.
Such a scenario would mean increased firepower for Al Shabab fighters, heightening the ferocity of their attacks, and grant the Iranian regime additional influence at a time when they are locked in a protracted and exhausting war against the US. Recently, the Houthis have recommenced attacks on Red Sea shipping after a year-long lull.
Permitting the group’s networks to expand in Africa would represent a strategic mistake with ramifications that far surpass Yemen’s borders. Internally, this dual focus distracts the Houthis from their ineffectual governance, leaving millions of Yemenis unpaid, undernourished, and oppressed. However, containing the Houthis within Yemen’s borders alone will not suffice.
The international community must coordinate efforts to monitor smuggling routes, increase vigilance over dual-use technology transfers, and reinvigorate diplomatic initiatives to isolate the group’s external supporters. Neglecting these measures has already caused significant problems, and further detrimental outcomes for both Yemen and the Horn of Africa are possible.
Written by urgent.news from The National Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
