According to a new study, Houthi rebels extort as much as $2 billion annually from shipping companies in exchange for not attacking their ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The unreleased study, based on research by a panel of Yemeni experts for the United Nations Security Council, found that the Houthis were raking in $180 million a month from the “rolling” protection racket, a published report said, although the panel said could not independently verify. number.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea – a crucial route for ships sailing between Asia, the Mediterranean and the east coast of North America – with drones, missiles and watercraft, killing four people and two ships were sunk. The Red Sea provides access to the Suez Canal in the north and the Gulf of Aden in the south.
The Houthis claim to only block shipping from countries allied with Israel, but the investigation shows that attacks have been carried out on ships from countries that support the Houthis, including Iran, according to another news article.
Most major shipping lines have diverted container ships and tankers from the region to longer voyages via the Cape of Good Hope around the Horn of Africa. That route adds 10 to 14 days to the duration of a trip, causing delays and costs for shippers. But a steady stream of local and regional ships continues to ply the Red Sea every day.
Of the major airlines, only France’s CMA CGM continues to operate scheduled flights via the Red Sea. The company did not respond to an email request for comment.
The panel found that the Houthis carried out more than 130 attacks on merchant ships between November 2023 and the end of July 2023.
The panel wrote that “[t]The group’s shift to operations at sea increased their influence in the region. Such a scale of attacks, using weapon systems on civilian ships, had never occurred since World War II,” the news report said.
The UN study shows that protection revenues contribute to financing and expanding Houthi operations in the region. This extended to cooperation with Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, as well as pirates in Somalia and ties to the Iranian military.
At the same time, the Houthis have built an extensive network for money laundering, recruitment, smuggling and arms transport.
“The scale, nature and extent of the transfer of various military equipment and technology provided to the Houthis from external sources, including financial support and training of their fighters, is unprecedented,” the study said.
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