Garowe (AX) — Puntland State officials say piracy groups operating along the region’s coastline are connected to criminal networks in Yemen, warning that maritime attacks are intensifying off Somalia and across the Gulf of Aden.
Mohamed Jama, commander of the Puntland State Coast Guard, said Monday that the groups now have the speed, range and firepower to strike well beyond the Somali shoreline. Their arsenals include fast boats, anti-aircraft guns and missiles.
- Advertisement -
Puntland State’s warning comes as pirate attacks off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden rise, with more incidents reported this year than in recent years.
Regional officials and maritime reports say at least five vessels are currently being held off Puntland State’s coast. The pirates are seeking ransoms worth millions of dollars.
In some cases, the groups have reportedly turned previously seized vessels into launch platforms for further attacks along Somalia’s coastline.
The resurgence has been partly attributed to a smaller international naval presence in waters off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, where patrols have traditionally helped deter pirate activity.
The European Union’s Operation Atalanta, a longstanding force in international counter-piracy efforts off Somalia, is now operating with fewer vessels relative to the vast maritime zone under its watch.
Recent reports have also alleged that Yemen’s Houthis could be supplying Somali pirates with equipment and light weapons, though the claim has not been independently verified.
Puntland State, whose coastline stretches along both the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, has repeatedly urged stronger maritime-security cooperation to combat piracy, illegal fishing, weapons trafficking and other cross-border crimes.
