Piracy off the coast of Somalia is back, underlined by the dramatic rescue of a hijacked Iranian fishing vessel and its crew this week by Indian naval forces. There have been at least 15 pirate attacks since the start of the year, compared to five last year and the handful recorded annually since 2013. Piracy was kept in check for over a decade by a combination of private security forces, naval patrols, and land-based development initiatives. But it has historically thrived during periods of domestic political instability—and Somalia is in deep crisis. The conflict between the United States and Iran has added a powerful regional dimension. International naval attention is now on the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, while the insecurity has re-routed maritime traffic closer to Somalia's coastline, creating more opportunities for the hijack-for-ransom business model. Meanwhile, sharply rising inflation and cuts to aid have left many Somalis looking for new incomes, and pirate groups are known to be generous employers. 

From The New Humanitarian, Nov. 6