Somali pirates use Red Sea crisis to stage return

Description

Rise in Houthi attacks distracts naval patrols from the threat of hijackers off the Horn of Africa

Subject

“Illegal fishing is quieter and less visible and has done significant damage over time. For years, foreign boats have stripped Somalia’s coastline with little consequence. Local fishers know this,” says Jethro Norman, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS).

“The coastal economy is fragile. Fishing livelihoods remain under pressure from foreign fleets. There’s minimal state presence in many littoral zones [parts of the sea that are close to the shore]. Put that together; grievance, opportunity and the means to act, and piracy starts to make sense again.”