From Spoke to Hub: The Houthis in Africa

This report describes the Houthis’ push into the Horn of Africa and its neighbourhood and makes the case that the group is trying to establish itself as a new node of the “Axis of Resistance” ecosystem in the region.
The Houthis are making outreach efforts to a variety of African groups, including Somalia’s al-Shabaab, factions of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and various marginalised peoples and tribes across the Horn of Africa.
In many cases, the Houthis do not share ideology, language, religion, or grievances with these groups. But they have been placing bets on new relationships that will deepen their power, reach, and resilience in the region.
The Houthis’ expansion strategy closely mirrors efforts by Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah to mold the nonstate armed groups they sponsored into a Middle East-wide network that became today’s Axis of Resistance.
This report is the last of three in Beyond the Axis, a Century International project supported by the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research program, funded by UK International Development.

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