Yemen’s Houthi leader, transforms sandal-clad militia into a forces.
From a motley militia wearing sandals, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the mysterious leader of Yemen’s Houthi forces, established the defiant force defying world powers whose strikes on Red Sea commerce have attracted fire from the U.S. and British militaries.
Due to the Houthi assault, which has seen them take control of most of Yemen after defeating forces supported by Saudi Arabia, a powerful country, some shipping companies have either stopped operations or chosen to travel a longer route around Africa.
The militants who receive support from Iran have threatened to continue applying pressure on the world’s shipping commerce, which might have a negative impact on the global economy, until Israel stops bombarding Gaza in order to destroy Hamas, which is also supported by Iran.
Before taking the helm of the Houthi movement, which consists of mountain fighters who have been engaged in combat with a Saudi-led military coalition since 2015, al-Houthi made a name for himself as a fierce commander in combat. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, severely damaged Yemen’s economy, and left millions of people hungry.
The organization, led by the forty-year-old al-Houthi, has amassed tens of thousands of warriors as well as a massive arsenal of ballistic missiles and armed drones. Despite years of bombardments on Saudi Arabian land, it has regularly exploited these to strike important infrastructure.
Raising the stakes, the Houthis launched a missile attack on the United Arab Emirates, a major tourist and commercial hub in the Gulf and a significant ally of the United States, in January 2022.
“He (al-Houthi) managed to transform a rural militia mostly engaged in insurgency tactics into one of the most resilient non-state armed groups of the region,” said Ludovico Carlino, Principal Analyst, Country Risk, Middle East and North Africa at HIS Markit.
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