Suspected Somali pirates hijack Yemeni fishing boat off Horn of Africa

Suspected Somali pirates have hijacked a Yemeni fishing boat off the Horn of Africa, marking the latest attack in the region.

The European naval force, EUNAVFOR Atalanta, confirmed the assault on a dhow, a traditional Middle Eastern vessel, near the Somali town of Eyl, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

This attack follows a similar incident just 10 days earlier, when pirates targeted another Yemeni fishing boat. However, that attack ended with the pirates fleeing and the crew being safely rescued without injury.

Piracy off Somalia’s coast reached its peak in 2011, with 237 attacks reported, costing the global economy around $7 billion, including $160 million in ransoms, according to the Oceans Beyond Piracy monitoring group. 

While international naval patrols, a strengthened Somali government, and various countermeasures helped reduce the piracy threat, the situation has worsened in the past year. 

The resurgence of piracy is partly attributed to the instability caused by attacks from Yemen's Houthi rebels in the Red Sea corridor, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. As of 2024, seven pirate incidents have already been reported off Somalia.

By Naila Huseynova