National Interest | Michael DeAngelo
Somali pirates have launched a significant hijacking campaign against oil tankers and cargo ships in the Red Sea corridor since April, posing the biggest threat in over a decade and disrupting global trade. This resurgence, occurring while the United States focuses on the Strait of Hormuz, risks inflicting billions in economic damages through increased insurance premiums and rerouted maritime traffic. Critically, the renewed piracy could enable al-Qaeda's Somali affiliate, al-Shabaab, to bolster its revenue streams, strengthen ties with the Houthis, and potentially conduct more attacks on US assets in East Africa or even plan attacks in the United States. The international community, currently fractured and preoccupied, must act decisively. The United States should bolster local Somali forces, particularly the Puntland Maritime Police Force, and encourage NATO allies and other international partners to conduct naval patrols in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean to contain this solvable problem before its costs escalate further.
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