Hijacking pirates exploit regional chaos to return to seas off Somalia

The scourge of Somali piracy targeting cargo ships and smaller dhows off the Horn of Africa has returned to levels not seen in a decade, driven by a convergence of factors including disruptions to the shipping industry caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran and a resurgence of political instability in Somalia.

Since late April there have been eight hijackings by Somali pirates, including two within the space of a fortnight in August: one targeting an oil tanker with ties to Iran, the other a Cameroon-flagged vessel, the Lutuf, carrying military equipment for Turkey.

Over a seven-year period from 2005 there were more than 1,000 attacks on vessels in the waters off Somalia, which has mainland Africa’s longest coastline. Thousands of crew members were taken hostage, netting $400m (£296m) in ransom payments for the piracy network’s financiers, the low-level “foot-soldier” pirates and the communities who provided them with goods and services. The attacks only petered out after a multinational anti-piracy force was deployed.

Read more: The Guardian (UK)