By HAN News Desk
BOSASO — Somali pirates have begun using modern GPS technology to track commercial shipping in the Indian Ocean, heightening concerns over maritime security along Somalia’s coastline, regional and Western officials said Thursday.
Mohamed Muse Abulle, deputy director of intelligence for Puntland’s Maritime Police Force, said the pirates obtained the equipment, along with other weapons, from Yemen’s Huthi rebels. “The new technology has made it much easier for them to plan attacks far from the Somali coastline,” he said, adding that pirates can now monitor vessel movements in real time.
U.S. and regional officials say the pirates are not operating independently but are linked to Iran-backed Huthi militias in Yemen as well as extremist groups active in the Horn of Africa. The cooperation is believed to have increased both the capability and reach of pirate attacks along key international shipping lanes.
Security agencies also report that some Somali pirates have received training inside Yemen, improving their military skills and increasing the threat to global maritime routes.
On December 12, Puntland’s Maritime Police Force said it intercepted a small boat suspected of carrying chemicals used to make explosives. The vessel held Somali and Yemeni nationals, all of whom were arrested for questioning.
Analysts say the resurgence of Somali piracy is part of broader instability linked to insecurity in the Red Sea, with the Huthis accused of seeking to expand their influence into the Horn of Africa.
