Aden — Yemeni authorities have escalated operations against smuggling networks operating across the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, as regional tensions and illicit trafficking continue to destabilize the country’s fragile security landscape.

In a major development, the Yemeni Coast Guard intercepted a smuggling vessel on October 12 in the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait. The boat was carrying 41 African migrants, including 15 women and 26 men, along with a crew composed of a Djiboutian captain and two Yemeni nationals. Officials described the vessel as part of a broader network facilitating illegal migration and human trafficking across the Red Sea.

Meanwhile, security services at Aden port revealed details of a significant arms seizure in August. A commercial ship en route to Hodeidah from Djibouti was found carrying over 2,500 tons of weapons and military equipment, including drones, spare parts, and communications gear. The shipment was allegedly intended for Houthi forces and marks one of the largest interdictions in recent months.

Diplomatic sources indicate that the Houthi group has begun rerouting its smuggling operations through Sudan and Eritrea, following intensified U.S. and Arab coalition efforts to block arms shipments via the Arabian Sea. These new corridors are believed to be part of a strategic shift in response to maritime crackdowns and increased surveillance.

The U.S. Treasury has also imposed sanctions on Houthi-linked entities involved in global fundraising and procurement operations. These include companies and operatives based in Yemen, China, the UAE, and the Marshall Islands, accused of facilitating illicit revenue streams and weapons transfers.

Officials warn that the convergence of arms trafficking, human smuggling, and regional proxy conflicts poses a grave threat to Yemen’s stability. Humanitarian agencies have expressed concern over the exploitation of migrants and the militarization of commercial shipping routes.

As Yemen’s internationally recognized government steps up enforcement, observers say the battle against smuggling networks is becoming a central front in the broader struggle for control, sovereignty, and humanitarian protection in the region.