Houthi and “Al-Shabab” Relationship: A Rising Threat to Navigation and East Africa

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As the U.S. intensifies its military operations against Houthi leaders in Yemen, experts are warning of growing cooperation between the Houthis and the terrorist group “Al-Shabab.”

In June, U.S. intelligence revealed discussions between the Houthis in Yemen and fighters from Al-Shabab, the Somali group linked to Al-Qaeda. According to The Africa Report, this indicates an increase in threats to the stability of East Africa.

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A United Nations report released last February revealed that Houthi militias in Yemen handed over weapons to Al-Shabab, which were later used in attacks on the African Union mission. The report also mentioned two meetings between the Houthis and Al-Shabab in Somalia, one in July and the other in September. According to the report, Al-Shabab representatives asked the Houthis for advanced weapons and training.

In return, the Houthis tasked Al-Shabab with intensifying piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast, targeting shipping vessels, disrupting navigation, and collecting ransom for the seized ships.

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A Suspicious Relationship

The recent U.S. airstrikes against the Houthis highlight growing concerns about the expanding cooperation between the group and Al-Shabab. Analysts from the Carnegie Endowment warn that this alliance aims to “strengthen and diversify supply chains, secure advanced weapons, bolster local standing, and expand strategic options” for the Houthis and their main ally, Iran, which could reshape maritime security in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in their favor.

Some believe this alliance could allow the Houthis to intensify attacks on commercial and military ships operating in the Red Sea.

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Omar Mahmoud, Senior Analyst for East Africa at the International Crisis Group, told The Africa Report that Yemen is often an arms market for Somalia. He adds that this cooperation could “aim to establish a more direct trade relationship, facilitating the transfer of new types of weapons to Al-Shabab.”

United by Hostility Toward the U.S. and Israel

Security analyst Liam Carr points out that “the Houthis and Al-Shabab are not potential partners due to their stark sectarian differences and varying military goals, which limits their cooperation primarily to regional arms smuggling networks.”

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However, Carr argues that both groups are connected through networks known as the “axis of resistance” and Al-Qaeda, which allows for opportunistic cooperation driven by shared anti-American interests.

Despite ideological and regional differences, experts agree that hostility toward the U.S. and Israel unites the Houthis and Al-Shabab.

In this regard, analyst Sakhri Mohamed wrote, “To understand the relationship between Al-Shabab and the Houthis, it is essential to look at the broader relations between the Houthis and Al-Qaeda, and Iran’s role in fostering the recent rapprochement between them.”

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Mohamed argues that Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, known as AQAP, has become the organization’s strongest branch in the region, thus strengthening incentives for cooperation based on mutual dependency rather than traditional ideological alliances.

He proposes two possible scenarios regarding Iran’s role. The first is “Iran’s direct involvement and active participation in promoting relations with Al-Shabab, indirectly facilitating cooperation between the group and the Houthis.”

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Smuggling Networks

Carr believes the indirect links between the Houthis and Al-Shabab exist through regional arms smuggling networks. He notes that Al-Shabab “already possesses Iranian small arms originally intended for the Houthis and shares communications within the smuggling routes in the Gulf of Aden.”

A report from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GITOC) indicates that “some of Al-Shabab‘s weapons came directly from Iranian shipments intended for the Houthis in Yemen.”

The report identifies at least one Houthi official directly linked to a Somali arms trafficker who had armed a Daesh affiliate operating alongside Al-Shabab in northern Somalia.

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What Role for Iran?

Intelligence suggests that “Iran supports Al-Shabab financially and militarily, driven by shared anti-Western goals.”

According to the site, “Tehran has supplied the group with improvised explosive devices, mortars, and chemical materials used to make bombs.”

In a previous report reviewed by Al-Ain News, Foreign Policy revealed “secret relations between Iran and Al-Shabab.” According to what senior Somali government and security officials told the magazine, Tehran “uses Al-Shabab to attack the U.S. military and other foreign forces in Somalia and the region.”

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