Houthis and al-Shabaab deepen alliance to encircle Red Sea trade routes
US officials warn that a growing operational partnership between Yemen’s Houthis and Somalia’s al-Shabaab poses an 'escalatory threat' to global shipping. The Houthis, having recently seized the port of Mocha and advanced toward the Bab al-Mandeb strait, are now consolidating a foothold on the African side of the Gulf of Aden. This alliance involves the transfer of weapons, drone technology, and training, allowing the Houthis to project influence from both sides of the maritime corridor. While the relationship began as transactional, it is evolving into a strategic partnership that could extend threats into the western Indian Ocean.
