Yemen : The National Reveals Expansion of Houthi Smuggling Networks Across the Horn of Africa
The National has reported that smuggling networks linked to Yemen’s Houthi movement have expanded from limited domestic operations into a sprawling regional system stretching across the Horn of Africa.
According to senior Yemeni and regional security officials, the networks now serve as conduits for weapons, drone components, ballistic missile parts, and maritime technologies, bolstering the group’s influence beyond Yemen’s borders.
Officials told the newspaper that the Houthis have, over recent years, developed sophisticated trafficking routes through the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea.
These routes rely on intermediaries and smugglers to secure supplies and facilitate the transfer of advanced military equipment.
A senior Yemeni security source emphasized that the Houthis’ activities in Africa are not confined to procurement but also include distribution and sales of arms, aligning with Iran’s regional agenda. “The Houthi presence in Africa has become a cornerstone of their supply chains,” the official said.
The report highlighted the role of Hezbollah in transferring expertise that has enabled the Houthis to diversify their operations and resources.
The Horn of Africa has emerged as a key arena for this expansion, with international reports pointing to direct contacts between the Houthis and Somalia’s Al-Shabaab.
A United Nations report in 2025 documented at least two meetings between representatives of the two groups in Somalia during July and September 2024, where discussions reportedly focused on supplying Al-Shabaab with weapons and technical know-how in exchange for intensified piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia’s coast.
Recent studies cited by The National also noted the movement of small arms, explosives, and drone-related components along smuggling routes between Yemen and Somalia, accompanied by evidence of joint training and technical coordination in unmanned systems, targeting, and operational planning.
The activity has reportedly extended into Sudan. The Sentry, a research organization, revealed that the Houthis played a role in assisting Sudan’s Military Industry Corporation in developing the Safarouk attack drone.
The aircraft bears similarities to Iran’s Ababil-T and the Qasef-2K drone deployed by the Houthis in Yemen, underscoring the transnational dimension of the group’s military reach.