AFRICOM Chief Warns Houthis Plan Radar Deployment in Somalia to Monitor Shipping Lanes

AFRICOM commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson told the Wall Street Journal, in remarks reported September 2, 2026, that Yemen's Houthi movement is planning to deploy radar systems in Al-Shabaab-controlled areas of Somalia to monitor maritime traffic and coastal activity in the Gulf of Aden — a capability that could sharpen threats to shipping lanes critical to global commerce. Anderson linked the radar plan to the broader deepening of Houthi-Al-Shabaab cooperation on training, weapons transfers and drone technology (see Sep 1, 2026 WSJ report), warning the partnership could 'strengthen Al-Shabaab's operational reach and ambitions beyond Somalia's borders.' The US has held confidential discussions with regional governments over what officials describe as an increasingly interconnected military and financial alliance between the Iran-backed Houthis and Al-Shabaab, with implications for security across the Horn of Africa and Red Sea region.