A terrorist group backed by Iran has formed a new alliance with Somali pirates which threatens to place further pressure on the international community to intervene in Israel’s Gaza conflict.
Al Shabab is a Sunni Islamist militant group that controls large areas of central and southern Somalia in the Horn of Africa. For nearly two decades, the group has been involved in a violent insurgency which has claimed thousands of lives.
In December last year, Al Shabab militants reportedly reached an agreement with Somali pirates, offering protection in exchange for a share of the ransom.
Somalia has the longest coastline in Africa, stretching over 3,000 kilometres, and is strategically located near vital shipping routes on the Horn of Africa.
This comes as Iran-backed Houthi rebels operating in nearby Yemen launch drone and missile attacks on shipping.
Al Shabab has an estimated 10,000 fighters in Somalia and is known to have orchestrated numerous deadly bombings in the region.
The group is suspected to be behind the suicide bombing in Mogadishu’s capital city in 2017 that killed over 500 people. Al Shabab also claimed responsibility for a deadly attack in September 2013, during which four masked gunmen opened fire in a shopping centre in Nairobi, Keny, killing nearly 70 people and injuring more than 200 more.
According to The National, back in December Al Shabab militants in the Sanaag region of Somalia struck a deal with pirates to receive 30 per cent of all ransom proceeds. However, the group is said to have not yet officially acknowledged the agreement with the pirates.
The National adds that this agreement coincides with an increase in piracy activity in Somali waters, marking the end of six years of relative calm.
Meanwhile, the Houthis’ alliance with Hamas against Israel has prompted the United States to send more warships to the region and form a joint maritime task force.
Despite the presence of US warships, major shipping companies have diverted their cargo away from the Red Sea, forcing them to take a longer route around South Africa, increasing global shipping costs and ultimately prices.
