Garowe (AX) — Puntland State has challenged Somalia’s account of the release of the MV LUTUF, alleging that ransom payments by the federal government and Türkiye—not a Somali-Turkish military operation—secured the cargo ship’s freedom off Puntland State’s coast.
Hours after Somalia’s Ministry of Defence announced that the vessel had been freed, Puntland State’s Ministry of Security and DDR welcomed the release of the Cameroon-flagged ship and its crew. Armed pirates seized the vessel off the Puntland State coast on Aug. 17.
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However, Puntland State rejected the federal government’s claim that the ship was recovered in a joint operation involving Somalia and Türkiye.
“The Ministry of Security and DDR clarifies that there was no operation by the Federal Government of Somalia and or Türkiye that rescued the vessel, as stated in the letter issued by the Ministry of Defence of the Federal Government of Somalia on 29 August 2026,” Puntland State said.
The ministry condemned what it said was the payment of ransom by Somalia’s federal government and the Turkish government to obtain the MV LUTUF’s release.
Puntland State said it had monitored phone communications between senior federal officials and the pirates responsible for the hijacking. The administration accused the officials of serving as intermediaries in arranging the ransom and facilitating the vessel’s release.
It offered no independent evidence to substantiate the allegation.
“The Puntland State Ministry of Security and DDR considers the act of paying ransoms a serious mistake that threatens the collective efforts to combat piracy, and the respect for international humanitarian and anti-piracy laws,” the statement said.
Puntland State said it had repeatedly opposed ransom payments, warning that they provide pirates with a financial incentive to seize more vessels and could make it harder to free other ships still in captivity.
The ministry also accused Türkiye of carrying out strikes that killed Somali citizens along the Garmaal and Jiifle coasts on Aug. 18 and Aug. 20. It said the attacks destroyed fishing boats as well.
Puntland State alleged that Türkiye used claims that the victims were trying to join the pirates holding the MV LUTUF to justify the strikes.
Its criminal investigation agencies were finalising an inquiry, the administration said, adding that it would hold Türkiye accountable for what it called killings conducted in breach of international law and Islamic principles safeguarding human life.
“It is unfortunate that the Turkish government rewarded ransom payment for the pirates who seized the MV LUTUF, whereas bombed and killed youths on the coasts of Puntland State, and destroyed fishing boats,” the statement said.
Puntland State renewed its warning against ransom payments and urged international partners—including European Union maritime security missions, the United States and other governments—to deepen cooperation on maritime security and freedom of navigation across the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.
The administration said it remains committed to confronting terrorist groups, pirates and other criminal networks that threaten maritime security and public safety.
Somalia’s Ministry of Defence said Saturday that Turkish and Somali forces had liberated the MV LUTUF after sustained pressure prompted the remaining pirates to abandon the vessel.
The ministry reported that 14 pirates were killed and four pirate boats destroyed during the operation.
It said the mission was conducted under the defence cooperation agreement between Somalia and Türkiye, which is intended to reinforce maritime security, protect Somalia’s coastline and fight piracy.
A local elder from the Jiifle community in Godobjiran district, in Puntland State’s Nugaal region, told The Associated Press that the ship and its crew had been released.
The MV LUTUF departed the Turkish port of Tekirdag in late July before pirates hijacked it on Aug. 17 in waters off the Nugaal region.
MarineTraffic data showed that the cargo ship later resumed its journey toward its reported destination of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Piracy along Somalia’s coast was widespread during the 2000s, reaching a peak in 2011. The threat then fell sharply following international naval deployments and the introduction of additional safeguards for commercial shipping.
