The commander of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), General Dagvin Anderson, has warned that Yemen’s Houthi movement is planning to deploy radar systems in parts of Somalia to monitor maritime traffic and coastal activity.
Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Anderson said the radar systems were intended for areas controlled by Al-Shabaab, describing the move as part of a deepening relationship between the Somali militant group and the Iran-backed Houthis.
According to the AFRICOM commander, the growing cooperation includes military training, weapons transfers, and support involving drone technology.
He said the Houthis have already provided Al-Shabaab with advanced training and military equipment, raising concerns in Washington about the expanding capabilities of both groups.
Anderson warned that such cooperation could strengthen Al-Shabaab’s operational reach and ambitions beyond Somalia’s borders.
The proposed radar systems could potentially enhance the monitoring of shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and along Somalia’s coastline, a region that sits near some of the world’s most strategically important maritime routes.
The AFRICOM chief added that the United States has discussed the issue with regional governments in closed-door meetings, expressing concern over what it views as an increasingly interconnected military and financial relationship between the Houthis and Al-Shabaab, with potentially wider implications for security in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.