Two commercial ships carrying 22 Indian seafarers were hijacked in the Indian Ocean this month, putting a renewed spotlight on the resurgence of piracy off the Somali coast.
Because several recent piracy incidents have taken place close to the Yemeni coast, with some potentially occurring inside Yemeni territorial waters, the assessment has drawn attention.
UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCIO), only three piracy-related incidents were recorded between January and March this year, according to data from the Indian Navy. A Somali lawmaker told CNN earlier this year that Somali pirates had allied with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi group.
Growing Pirate Threat Linked to Somaliland’s Autonomy
The resurgence of piracy in the Gulf of Aden is raising alarms as reports suggest that attackers may be launching operations from Somaliland. This region, which claims self-governance, operates largely independently of Somalia’s federal government, which struggles to maintain control over the entirety of the country. The lack of effective governance in Somalia has created an environment where pirates can operate with relative impunity.
