Barran Press
On February 27, 2025, Ahmed Suleiman Ahmed Hamli Ruzaiq, a captured Houthi element, admitted to conducting five arms and equipment smuggling operations from the Iran-backed Houthis to Somalia’s Al-Shabaab in late 2024. His confession, aired by the National Resistance media on Yemen’s western coast, came after his arrest by Hodeidah security forces in collaboration with the National Resistance’s General Intelligence Division.
Ruzaiq disclosed that he smuggled weapons, military gear, and individuals of Somali and Yemeni descent between Somalia and Yemen, using the coasts of Al-Mahra and Shabwa provinces as key transit points. His statements corroborate claims by the UN Sanctions Committee, which has accused Iran of supporting terrorist groups in Somalia via the Houthis, as part of Tehran’s broader regional strategy to strengthen proxy forces.
The elements revealed he joined the Houthis in late 2023 through a recruiter from Hodeidah, receiving combat and naval training before being tasked with smuggling operations. His testimony highlights the deepening ties between the Houthis and Al-Shabaab—both affiliates of Al-Qaeda—and Iran’s apparent aim to extend threats to international navigation from the Red Sea to the Pacific Ocean.
A UN Security Council expert panel reported in October 2024 that cooperation between the Iran-backed Houthis and terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and Al-Shabaab, had intensified. The report documented increased arms transfers, coordinated attacks against Yemen’s government, and a surge in smuggling of small arms and light weapons between the Houthis and Al-Shabaab, signaling a growing regional security threat.