Somali president warns of alarming Houthi-ISIS-Al-Shabaab alliance

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has sounded the alarm over what he describes as a growing alliance between Yemen’s Houthi rebels, ISIS, and Al-Shabaab, posing a major threat to regional security in the Horn of Africa and the Gulf.

In a strongly worded Op-Ed published in Asharq Al-Awsat, President Mohamud revealed that Somali intelligence had uncovered “ongoing communication” between the Houthis and extremist groups operating within Somalia, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

He further disclosed that this collaboration has evolved into the trafficking of weapons, explosives, and drone technologies across borders. 

“Our intelligence services have recently detected ongoing communication between the Houthi group in Yemen and both ISIS and Al-Shabaab in Somalia,” Mohamud wrote. “We have intercepted shipments of explosives and drones coming from Yemen to Somalia and arrested a network of smugglers.”

Authorities in Somalia have reportedly disrupted multiple smuggling operations and confiscated weapons en route from Yemen. The president described the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as particularly vulnerable, warning that various terrorist groups—despite differing ideologies—are forming covert partnerships aimed at destabilising the region. 

“It is a region where numerous terrorist groups are active, most notably Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, ISIS, and the Houthis. Despite their apparent differences, these groups secretly form alliances and exchange roles against regional countries, including Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states in general,” he said.

President Mohamud urged for increased global coordination, stating that the fight against terrorism in Somalia directly contributes to safeguarding international maritime trade routes. “Achieving security and peace in Somalia is an integral part of achieving regional stability in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,” he said. 

“The security of this region is a collective responsibility that requires cooperation and integration among all countries.” His warning comes amid a rise in attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea and growing evidence of coordination among Iran-backed militant networks spanning the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.

By Naila Huseynova