Somali Minister of Defence Ahmed Moallim Fiqi met with his Yemeni counterpart, Lieutenant General Mohsen Mohammed Ahmed Al-Daari, in Cairo on Thursday for high-level talks focused on strengthening defense cooperation and enhancing security in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The meeting was also attended by the Commander of the Somali National Armed Forces, Major General Odowaa Yusuf Rage, along with senior military officials from both countries.

Minister Fiqi and Lt. Gen. Al-Daari stressed that disrupting illegal arms trafficking and other cross-border threats requires a unified and proactive approach. They agreed on the importance of tightening control over all illicit movements to safeguard regional stability, strengthen counterterrorism efforts, and secure international maritime navigation.

Multiple reports have indicated growing concerns that Yemen’s Houthi movement and Somalia’s al-Shabaab may be strengthening operational links across the Gulf of Aden, raising the stakes for both countries as they confront evolving security threats.

Somali and Yemeni authorities have pledged to step up cooperation on several fronts including intelligence sharing, joint maritime surveillance, and coordinated interdiction operations to counter emerging threats and protect the shared maritime corridor.