American Warnings: The Cooperation Between the Houthis and Al-Shabaab is "Very Concerning"

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The increasing cooperation between the Houthi movement and the armed Al-Shabaab group in Somalia poses a "escalatory" threat to regional stability, according to warnings from U.S. officials.

Security and military experts revealed that the Houthi group sold weapons to Al-Shabaab and trained hundreds of fighters in the use of drones and explosives.

The Houthi militias have also made repeated trips to areas in southern Somalia controlled by the group linked to Al-Qaeda.

Additionally, experts added that the movement and cooperation between the Houthis in Yemen and Al-Shabaab now represent a serious danger to global trade, oil flows, and maritime navigation, according to the Financial Times.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), responsible for U.S. military operations on the continent, stated that the relationship between the two groups represents "an escalating and deeply concerning threat to regional stability."

He also added that this "alliance, by integrating the operational capabilities of both parties, threatens to expand the lethal combat capacity of Al-Shabaab in the Horn of Africa, while simultaneously granting the Houthis greater ability to extend influence and disrupt vital maritime routes in the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean."

For their part, security officials in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, expressed concern about the impact of this increasing rapprochement between the Houthis and Al-Shabaab on a country that has been torn apart by civil conflicts for decades.

Especially since Al-Shabaab controls about 40% of Somalia's territory, mostly rural areas, and reached a fragile stalemate with the central government in Mogadishu last year.

For his part, Tim Lenderking, the former U.S. envoy to Yemen, stated that the United States began to feel concerned about the growing relationship between the two parties since 2024, as they engaged in joint training, weapon transfers, and explored ways to expand their relationship and increase pressure on Bab el-Mandeb.

Lindrking, who currently works at the law firm "Squire Patton Boggs," explained that the Houthis view this relationship as more important than ever because their plan is to expand their influence beyond the borders of Yemen.

Despite sectarian differences, the Houthis, who adhere to a strict interpretation of the Zaidi Shia sect, have intensified their communications with Al-Shabaab, according to regional experts.

Initially, the relationship was primarily commercial in nature.

However, Gulid Ahmed, a Somali expert on regional security and author of the book "The Mafia: Al-Shabaab," believes that "the relationship between Al-Shabaab and the Houthis has evolved from mere smuggling activities to an operational partnership that includes weapons, drones, and technical expertise."

He also noted that the threat posed by this cooperation to navigation is currently concentrated in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, where Houthi attacks are increasing pressure on the global economy. He added: "If Al-Shabaab gains the necessary expertise to operate medium-range missiles and drones provided by the Houthis, this network could extend to the western Indian Ocean."

Matt Bryden, a veteran expert on Somali affairs and former head of the UN Somalia Experts Group, indicated that up to 1,500 Somali fighters have received training from the Houthis in Yemen, whether from Al-Shabaab or other factions. He and Ahmed added that there are indications of the group's efforts to acquire more advanced weapons, including Iranian-made S-358 anti-aircraft missiles, although these weapons have not yet appeared on the battlefields in Somalia. Bryden stated, "There is a clear intention... Al-Shabaab has requested high-level equipment from the Houthis," adding that these weapons have either not been delivered or "perhaps were destroyed by the United States at sea."

He also confirmed that Houthi envoys have frequently visited the town of Jilib this year, the stronghold of Al-Shabaab in southern Somalia, and have benefited from the new alliance in deploying radar systems and other equipment to monitor ship movements from the African coast.

For his part, Peter Salisbury, a researcher at Columbia University who has studied the relationship between the two parties for two years, believes that "the Houthis want to obtain permission to recruit within Somalia, and they want to use Somali territory to monitor the Gulf of Aden and launch attacks."

He added that the Houthis are training Al-Shabaab fighters to use drones, tactical explosives, and field combat techniques, but their long-term goals from this relationship remain unclear. He concluded by saying, "It may turn out that it has not gone beyond some training and the transfer of a limited number of weapons. But it may also turn out that the Houthis are doing with Al-Shabaab what Iran and Hezbollah did with them, that is, gradually transferring military expertise and continuously enhancing their capabilities while increasing their dependence on them."

At the same time, pirates off the northern coast of Somalia, who have no ties to Al-Shabaab, have exploited the increasing turmoil. This year has seen the highest number of maritime attacks in a decade, including last month's seizure of a Turkish ship carrying weapons to Mogadishu.