The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are working with a local branch of Al-Qaeda in a partnership that risks further destabilizing the country, experts say.
Although the two terror groups come from a different ideology, they appear to be coordinating to wrest back control of parts of southern Yemen.
Al-Qaeda’s activity appeared to have waned in recent years, but, experts say its apparent deepening cooperation with the Houthi rebels risks creating new dangers at a time when the Middle East is already seeing soaring tensions over the war in Gaza.
Just recently, Al-Qaeda Yemen’s terrorists were blamed for a bomb that killed six soldiers loyal to the STC in southern Yemen, a sign of their growing activity in the country.
Although the exact nature of the unlikely partnership between Al-Qaeda’s and the Houthis remains unclear – including just how high up the ladder the cooperation goes – there has been clear evidence of collaboration.
The most significant came last year, when Al-Qaeda carried out seven drone attacks in the Shabwa governorate of southern Yemen.
“Given that AQAP has limited technical capability in developing their own drones, especially after the recent deaths of their explosives experts, external support for sourcing these weapons was probably crucial,” wrote Rueben Dass of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore.
“The drones were reportedly obtained by Abu Osama al-Diyani, a close to Al-Qaeda’s former leader Khalid] Batarfi who died earlier this year and who maintained a close contact with the Houthis.”
A spokesman for the forces fighting Al-Qaeda said the provision of drones was just the tip of the iceberg.
“The Houthis provided Al-Qaeda with logistics support, including thermal rockets, drones, reconnaissance equipment,” said Lt Col Mohammed Al-Naqib.
Just a few months earlier, the two groups traded prisoners, with the Houthis releasing jihadists Al-Qaqa al-Bihani and Muwahhid al-Baydhnani in exchange for two of their fighters.
On the ground, local residents say the two groups no longer engage in skirmishes with each other.
“Al-Qaeda militants run checkpoints in the road which links Shabwa with Al-Baydha province [in south-eastern Yemen] marked with their flag; a few kilometers down on the same road, the Houthis run checkpoints holding their flag,” said Mohammed, who declined to give his full name because of security concerns.
“They live in harmony,” he added. “They never clash and each group raises its banner, which clearly indicates a growing cooperation between the two groups.”
Abu Qusai Assana’ani, believed to be a high-ranking Houthi fighter, was killed while fighting alongside Al-Qaeda militants in September 2022, according to Colonel Ali Al-Badah, chief of operations command in the region.
“Many Houthi fighters escorting him were injured in the battle,” he said.
“We received prior information from our sources in Mukairas area [that] confirmed Assana’ani was providing Al-Qaeda militants in Mudiyah district with food supplies, weapons and ammunition when our troops raided Wadi Omaran,” he said, referring to an Al-Qaeda stronghold in Yemen.
Fernand Carvajal, who previously served on the UN Security Council panel of experts of Yemen said “It is clear there are shared interests between both groups amid the protracted civil war, mainly the elimination of southern secessionist ambitions,” adding “Houthis aim to control all physical territory of the republic of Yemen, while AQAP continues to aim at establishing a safe haven in Yemen.