Diplomatic Drive: US, Allies Push Kenya Against Houthis in Yemen, Tackling Red Sea Ship Attacks
The United States and its allies are utilizing a combination of pressure and diplomatic influence to encourage Kenya’s support for the conflict against the Houthis in Yemen. This effort, indirectly linked to Israel’s actions in Gaza, aims to halt a series of disruptive attacks on ships transporting goods in the Red Sea.
Over the last two weeks, Nairobi welcomed high-ranking officials from US intelligence and defense, such as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns and Africa Command (Africom) General Michael Langley. The government has remained silent on the specific results of these visits, but they reportedly resulted in commitments to enhance security and intelligence collaboration. Additionally, General Langley visited Somalia and Djibouti, while the CIA director toured Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo).
During the current week, Kenya stood alone among Horn of Africa nations in openly supporting airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthi group. The West now classifies the Houthi’s actions of targeting ships in the Red Sea as acts of terrorism.
“These strikes were designed to disrupt and degrade the capability of the Houthis to continue their attacks on global trade and innocent mariners from around the world while avoiding escalation,” said a statement by the White House on Wednesday.
“We condemn these attacks and demand an end to them. We also underscore that those who supply the Houthis with the weapons to conduct these attacks are violating UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law. The January 22 international response to the continuing Houthi attacks demonstrated shared resolve to uphold navigational rights and freedoms, and to defend the lives of mariners from illegal and unjustifiable attacks.”
The governments of Kenya, Guinea-Bissau, Albania, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Poland, Korea, Romania, the UK, and the US all approved the statement.
Originally not perceived as a threat beyond their borders, the Houthis have, since December, carried out at least 30 assaults on commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea. These attacks are ostensibly in response to Israel’s military actions in Gaza against the Hamas militant group. The Houthis assert that their actions are a form of retaliation for what they perceive as Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians.
Although the Red Sea shipping route plays a vital role for Eastern African nations by reducing import times from Europe, the Horn of Africa countries, including Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Tanzania, which could potentially be impacted by maritime insecurity, have opted to remain neutral and refrain from supporting counter-strikes.
According to a diplomatic source interviewed by PoliticalPulseChat, Kenya’s involvement in the Houthi issue is seen as a safeguard against regional piracy. However, there are concerns that this stance might provoke the displeasure of terrorist organizations aiming to enhance their image by aligning themselves with the Palestinian cause.
The International Maritime Bureau, part of the International Chamber of Commerce, urged shippers to stay cautious while navigating through the waters near Somalia and the Gulf of Aden last week, emphasizing the persistent threat of piracy in the region.
Incidents occurring in the Red Sea result in ships changing their course to navigate through the Gulf of Guinea towards the southern tip of Africa, thereby increasing the distance of their journeys by approximately 6,000 kilometers. This underscores the significance of Guinea Bissau in ensuring the security of this maritime route.
The US considers Kenya an important and influential ally as “East Africa’s most dynamic economy”, which is “a growing regional business and financial hub”.
In 2018, Washington and Nairobi officially upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership, giving priority to five key areas of collaboration: economic prosperity, trade, and investment; defense cooperation; democracy, governance, and civilian security; multilateral and regional issues; and public health cooperation.
In 2022, both nations commenced discussions on the Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership (Stip), aiming to promote economic expansion and enhance the business climate in Kenya.
Meanwhile, Nairobi is leveraging Washington’s supervisory authority over the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to alleviate the burden of debt repayment and revive the economy.
Observers have noticed that when it accommodated senior US officials, the IMF granted a disbursement of $684.7 million to Kenya. This financial support aims to strengthen Kenya’s capacity to meet its obligations for the upcoming maturity of its initial Eurobond in June.
The additional funds constitute a portion of the $941.2 million resulting from the increase and expansion of resources within the fund’s multiyear agreement with Kenya.
Since the previous year, Kenya has been advocating for increased support from the IMF. The request is based on the country’s elevated balance of payment requirements, particularly due to the significant upcoming maturity, as well as challenges in obtaining alternative funding from the global capital markets.
In addition to utilizing financial support from the IMF, Kenya has been actively pursuing additional concessional funding from various outlets, such as the World Bank, along with engaging in syndicated loans.
PoliticalPulseChat has received information indicating that Kenya has agreed to back the anti-Houthi operation in exchange for American assistance in enhancing its maritime and local security infrastructure. The United States has been actively opposing any form of support, whether direct or indirect, for the Houthis, including assistance from Iran.
However, Washington has tactfully attempted to discourage the Houthis from engaging in terrorist activities initially.
The US Department of State declared on January 17, 2024, that Ansarallah (Houthis) would be officially recognized as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) starting from February 16, 2024. The decision to postpone the implementation was explained as a strategy to influence the behavior of the Houthis rather than imposing immediate punitive measures.
The Houthis were initially classified as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) and a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) during the tenure of former US President Donald Trump. However, President Joe Biden, upon assuming office in February 2021, promptly reversed this designation. The decision was driven by apprehensions that such labeling might impede the delivery of crucial humanitarian aid to the people of Yemen.
On Thursday, the United States and the United Kingdom officially identified four Houthi military leaders—namely, Mohamed al-Atifi, Muhammad Fadl Abd al-Nabi, Muhammad Ali al-Qadiri, and Muhammad Ahmad al-Talibi—for their involvement in targeting ships.
Americans have also exerted influence by employing soft power through commitments, military assistance, and financial support to their allies.
In Africa, only Kenya and Guinea-Bissau have openly expressed their endorsement for airstrikes against the Houthis, and interestingly, both nations have previously experienced the challenges of maritime piracy.
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In Nairobi, authorities openly mentioned the military assistance provided by the United States. Aden Duale, Kenya’s Defence Cabinet Secretary, refrained from disclosing the details of the discussion with General Langley but emphasized the crucial role of the U.S. as a partner in promoting peace, security, and stability in the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes Region.
“The US government has been playing a key role in the support of the construction of the Kenya Defence Forces’ (KDF’s) Counter Insurgency, Terrorism, and Stability Operations (Citso) Centre and offering the KDF personnel training opportunities.”
This week, the United States, the United Kingdom, and over 20 allied nations initiated military operations against the Houthis. They have conveyed that these strikes will persist until the Houthis cease their attacks. According to a statement from the UK, 24 countries, including the US, Germany, and Australia, carried out strikes on Monday, targeting eight locations in Yemen controlled by the Houthis. The objective is to halt the ongoing attacks in the Red Sea region.
Kenya sees the resurgence of piracy along the Somali coast as a more immediate concern compared to the direct threat posed by the Houthis. The increased risk of piracy raises worries about elevated insurance premiums for shipping, ultimately leading to higher costs for importing goods through the Port of Mombasa.
Over the last decade, piracy faced a significant decline thanks to a joint effort led by the United States and the European Union in the form of a global naval coalition. Despite this success, there has been a resurgence in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia since November 2023, with four vessels falling victim to attacks. While two of these vessels have been successfully released, the other two remain under the control of pirates.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to continue impeding the Houthis’ capacity to launch attacks on ships.
“We are not seeking a confrontation,” he told parliament Monday.
“We urge the Houthis and those who enable them to stop these illegal and unacceptable attacks.”
In the interim, on Wednesday, the United Nations urged Houthi authorities to reassess their choice to remove American and British individuals employed by the global organization in Yemen.
Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, verified that the United Nations had been informed by the Houthi group, instructing American and British citizens to evacuate the regions under their authority within a month.
“Any request or requirement for UN staff to leave based solely on the nationality of that staff is inconsistent with the legal framework applicable to the UN,” said Dujarric. “It also impedes our ability to deliver on the mandate to support all of the people in Yemen. And we call on all the authorities in Yemen to ensure that our staff can continue to perform their functions on behalf of the UN.”
He mentioned that members of the UN personnel work impartially, dedicating their service exclusively to the United Nations flag and no other.
The representative declined to disclose the number of American and British citizens employed by the United Nations in regions of Yemen under Houthi control.
Diplomatic Drive: US, Allies Push Kenya Against Houthis in Yemen, Tackling Red Sea Ship Attacks