Iran and Houthi military expansion in Sudan

Reports indicate that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Yemen’s Houthi movement are expanding military training networks within Sudan. These activities involve transferring technical expertise to Islamist factions aligned with the Sudanese army, specifically regarding the production and operation of drones, missiles, electronic jamming systems, and reconnaissance equipment.

Training operations are reportedly occurring in locations such as the Jebel Surkab mountainous area near Omdurman, which allegedly houses underground workshops and storage facilities. Sudanese forces are reportedly being trained to produce the ‘Safrouq’ drone, a system resembling Iran’s Ababil-T design. Logistical routes have also been established to move personnel and equipment from northern Sudan to the Red Sea, with connections to facilities in Somalia and the Eritrean port of Massawa.

This expansion of expertise marks a transition for the Houthi movement from being mere recipients of military technology to becoming exporters of know-how. This development, alongside intensifying Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is impacting Red Sea security and prompting potential shifts in United States regional security strategy along the African coast.