The CTC Sentinel published in December 2024 an analysis titled "Looking West: The Houthis' Expanding Footprint in the Horn of Africa" by Michael Horton.
The Yemen-based Houthi rebels are solidifying ties with al-Shabaab and arms smugglers that operate in Somalia and Puntland. The Houthis are also improving their relations with al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula, which is aligned with al-Shabaab.
The International Institute of Strategic Studies published in December 2024 a research paper titled "Navigating Troubled Waters: The Houthis' Campaign in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden" by Wolf-Christian Paes, Edward Beales, Fabian Hinz, and Albert Vidal Ribe.
The paper examines the Houthis' attacks on ships since November 2023 and the international military responses, as well as the economic impact of the crisis. It also considers the Houthis' arsenal and the smuggling of weapons and their components to Yemen.
Although most attacks have missed or did little damage, the Houthis have sunk two ships, and four sailors have lost their lives. The economic impact of the crisis on global supply lines has been more limited than was first anticipated. After twelve months of sustained attacks on Western shipping, the current response by the international community has failed to reach its stated goals.
CNBC posted on 7 February 2024 an article titled "Somali Pirates Are Back on the Attack at a Level Not Seen in Years, Adding to Global Shipping Threats" by Lori Ann LaRocco.
Over the past three months, there has been more piracy in the waters off the Horn of Africa than at any point in the last six years with high ransoms for seafarers or vessels, and robbing of ship passengers by pirates.
The Africa Center for Strategic Studies published on 27 March 2023 an analysis titled "Reclaiming Al-Shabaab's Revenue" by Wendy Williams.
Al-Shabaab generates annually an estimated $100 million used to support 5,000 to 10,000 well-armed fighters and a network of operatives. The revenue comes from a variety of taxes and extortion practices. This analysis looks at ways to disrupt al-Shabaab's revenue stream.
The Observer Research Foundation published on 16 July 2022 an analysis titled "The US and Changing Geopolitics of the Red Sea" by Vivek Mishra and Sankalp Gurjar.
The US has established a naval task force in the Red Sea to prevent the smuggling of arms and narcotics. Iran has increased its naval presence in the region. Israel has voiced concerns about the Iranian presence. Russia is seeking a naval base in the Red Sea while China, the US and others have one at Djibouti. All of this activity points to increased great power competition in the Red Sea.
