Yemen : Houthis Transfer Iranian Military Technology to Sudanese Islamist Groups

Sanaa — Recent intelligence reports revealed that Yemen’s Houthi militia, in cooperation with cross-border smuggling networks, has transferred low-cost Iranian military technology including drones and missiles to armed groups in Sudan believed to be linked to the Sudanese Islamic movement.

According to Sheba Intelligence, which specializes in security and intelligence in the Red Sea and Horn of Africa, smuggling networks operating between Yemen, the Horn of Africa, and the Red Sea facilitated negotiations between Yemeni militias and Sudanese armed factions. 

The latest meeting reportedly took place last week, focusing on new mechanisms and routes for weapons trafficking across the Red Sea.

The Houthis are said to rely on smuggling networks with deep local influence, using islands near Eritrea’s coast as temporary storage sites for weapons and components. 

Some of these sites are believed to be used for assembling drone and missile parts before shipment to Sudan.

Sheba Intelligence reported it had obtained the names of four Houthi military commanders suspected of coordinating arms transfers to Sudan, though it withheld publication pending independent verification.

These revelations come as Sudan witnesses a sharp rise in the use of drones by warring factions. 

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk recently warned that drone warfare has killed more than 1,000 civilians between January and May, accounting for 80 percent of documented civilian deaths during that period.