(AfriquePlus) - Yemen’s Houthi movement is expanding its presence into East Africa to transform itself from a local militant group into a central regional hub, according to an article published in L'Express on August 27, 2026, by journalist Julien Chabrout.
Citing a study by the American think tank The Century Foundation released on Monday, August 24, Chabrout notes that this drive replicates the model used by Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah during the 2000s. The Tehran-backed rebels, who remain locked in conflict with Yemeni government armed forces, are executing a coordinated plan directed by a core team of operatives stationed in Sanaa.
Through this push across the Horn of Africa, the American think tank explains that the Houthis "demonstrate that they are seeking to establish themselves as a new hub of activity for the 'Axis of Resistance' in the region." The movement is establishing its own infrastructure along the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, accelerating its shift from a peripheral actor into a central network.
The authors of the report underscore that the Houthis possess strategic advantages sought after by local armed factions, including "weapons, technologies, know-how, supply chains, and access to Iran." These resources are otherwise inaccessible to many regional groups, and while the ties are currently transactional, analysts warn they could soon evolve into mutual interdependence.
In Somalia, Houthi activity has progressed beyond standard weapons trafficking toward a direct partnership with the jihadist group al-Shabaab. In exchange for weapons and tactical training, the Yemeni insurgents gain crucial intelligence, logistics, and operational capabilities across the Gulf of Aden.
Chabrout highlights the explicit warning from the think tank regarding this cooperation: "The clearest short-term signal of a capability transfer would be the appearance of Iranian-type explosive devices, anti-aircraft missiles, or drones on Somali battlefields." The research document also underscores that the arrival of explosively formed penetrators, or armor-piercing bombs, in Somalia would serve as a direct indicator of strengthening operational ties.
Djibouti occupies a strategic role in the rebel logistics apparatus due to its location at the entrance to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Houthi networks take advantage of commercial infrastructure and transport channels to route military hardware and sensitive components back toward Yemen, actively circumventing international arms restrictions.
The Century Foundation also points to potential expansion into Sudan and Eritrea, where smuggling channels are under scrutiny. Houthi operatives have established a presence in Port Sudan, having reportedly received shipments of small arms and light weapons on behalf of Iran since 2024.
This expanding footprint threatens to inflame an area already fractured by intense fighting and political friction.
The authors of the Century Foundation report warn that "the tentacles of conflict and competition intertwine on both sides of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, ultimately risking drawing Arab and African littoral states, non-state actors, and their external backers into a regional conflict of considerable scale and complexity."
