What started as isolated smuggling operations by Yemen's Houthi rebels has turned into a network that stretches through Africa, senior Yemeni and regional security officials told The National as they revealed how the militants carefully built their routes.Over the past decade, the Iran-backed group has slowly transformed from a local armed faction into a wider force, threatening neighbouring countries and attacking shipping lanes while consolidating its control over the capital Sanaa and north-western Yemen.But it is the Houthis' close relationship with Iran's main regional proxy, Hezbollah, that has taught them how to extend their reach beyond Yemen to diversify sources and resources while advancing Tehran's goals in new regions.The most important of those regions is the Horn of Africa. Recent reports revealed that Houthi ties with Al Shabab in Somalia and the Sudanese Armed Forces have led to arms-smuggling networks in the troubled region just a stone's throw across the sea.“The Houthis' activity in the Horn of Africa is not only for obtaining supplies but also for expanding their arms distribution and sales in the region, as well as spreading Iranian agendas,” a senior Yemeni security official told The National.“Therefore, the Houthi presence and activity in Africa constitute one of the most important pillars of the Houthi movement's current supply chain,” he added.The Houth...
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