The Wall Street Journal reports that Yemen’s Houthis and Somalia’s Al-Shabaab have deepened secret military cooperation involving weapons, training and operations.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (Somali Report) — Yemen's Houthi movement and Somalia's Al-Shabaab militant group have developed increasingly close covert ties since 2023, involving weapons, training and operational coordination, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The report, citing people familiar with the relationship and other information, said Al-Shabaab had received advanced weapons and training from the Houthis, including instruction related to drones and explosives.
The Houthis, meanwhile, were seeking technical assistance to help install radar systems capable of monitoring maritime traffic in waters between Yemen and Somalia, according to the newspaper.
The reported cooperation comes amid growing security concerns in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where attacks and other threats have disrupted commercial shipping in recent years.
The Wall Street Journal said senior Al-Shabaab commander Jibril Yahye Ali played a key role in developing the relationship between the two groups.
Jibril was killed in a U.S. airstrike in February this year, the newspaper reported. He had allegedly travelled covertly between Somalia and Yemen and received logistical assistance, including a residence and a forged Yemeni passport.
The newspaper also reported that Al-Shabaab sent an operative, identified as Ahmed Elmi Samatar, to the Houthis in 2024.
Samatar allegedly delivered a list of weapons and military equipment sought by Al-Shabaab. The list reportedly included anti-aircraft missiles, Katyusha rockets, long-range sniper rifles, attack drones and night-vision equipment.
According to the report, smuggling networks using front companies and ports in Yemen have helped move weapons across the Gulf of Aden to coastal areas in northern Somalia.
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The weapons are then allegedly transported onward to Al-Shabaab units operating in southern Somalia.
The reported arrangement would give the two groups access to maritime routes that connect Yemen, Somalia and the wider Red Sea region, according to the newspaper.
U.S. officials cited by The Wall Street Journal believe the cooperation could strengthen the ability of both groups to expand their influence across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
They also warned that closer cooperation between the Houthis and Al-Shabaab could pose a broader threat to maritime security and the movement of energy supplies through strategically important international shipping routes.
Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against Somalia's federal government for more than 15 years, remains one of the country's most powerful militant organisations. It controls or operates in parts of southern and central Somalia and has carried out attacks in neighbouring Kenya.
The Houthis, meanwhile, have emerged as a major armed actor in Yemen and have launched repeated attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they were acting in support of Palestinians during the war in Gaza.
Any deeper operational relationship between the two groups could add another layer to an already complex security environment around the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, one of the world's most important maritime corridors.
The Wall Street Journal's account could not immediately be independently verified, and neither Al-Shabaab nor the Houthis publicly confirmed the reported cooperation.
About the Author
Ahmed Omar is a senior journalist for Somali Report, based in Mogadishu. He has two decades of experience reporting on Somalia for international and local media. He covers politics, security, governance, business, trade, economic developments and regional affairs.
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