Somali Piracy Returns: Fishermen in Bander Beyla Live Under Tightening Siege

Mogadishu, Somalia – The fishing town of Bander Beyla on Somalia's Puntland coast has become the centre of a resurgent piracy crisis. But behind the hijackings and international security operations, residents are struggling to protect their livelihoods amid fishing restrictions, arrests and surveillance that are reshaping daily life.

Abdifatah Mohamed, 35, has fished off Somalia for 20 years, starting at 15. He says catches are shrinking and the arrival of foreign trawlers has made it harder to feed his family.

"I can't catch as much fish as I used to, and the chance to catch lobster has become rare," Mohamed said. "Foreign fishing vessels are emptying the sea."

The collapse of Somalia's central government in 1991 weakened maritime oversight, leaving its waters vulnerable to illegal fishing. Some fishermen, angered by foreign vessels exploiting the resources, turned to piracy.

"We can't compete with the foreign trawlers, vessels far more capable than ours, and it hurts our families on shore," Mohamed said. "Some in our community have taken up arms and gone to sea, but deep down I know it is hurting the community."

A community caught in the crackdown

Piracy has risen off Somalia since late April 2026. Reports of hijackings vary depending on whether commercial ships, fishing vessels and dhows are counted. Several seized ships are being held at anchor near Bander Beyla, bringing the crisis to the doorstep of the town's fishing community.

In late August, local authorities restricted fishermen from going to sea over fears that pirates were posing as fishermen.

"The local authorities issued an order in the last week of August banning us from going to sea, effective for two months," Mohamed said. "Our families depend on what we catch at sea. Even though catches have fallen in recent years, it still helps feed our families. But it is as if we are being punished for crimes that have nothing to do with us, and our families bear the cost."

According to Mohamed, going to sea is now a risk for fishermen whether they comply with the restrictions or ignore them. "It is a risk either way, because if the authorities know you went to sea, they can accuse you of being a pirate or even of supplying the seized ships," he said. "And out at sea, you can be arrested or face violence from international navies, mistaken for a pirate and sent to a prison abroad. That has happened to many men in this town."

Abdirizak Said, who has fished in Bander Beyla for 15 years, said the crackdown has deepened residents' hardship. "Dozens of people have been arrested, most of them after bringing food or khat to the pirates when their ships were anchored near Bander Beyla," he said. "Businesses and shops have even been ordered by the local authorities not to sell anything to pirates, on pain of being treated as pirates themselves."

The networks behind piracy

Some of those involved in the hijackings come from the very town bearing the consequences. "Some of the pirates involved in the hijackings are from Bander Beyla and come from this community," Said said.

Jethro Norman, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS), argues that piracy cannot be understood simply as crime at sea. It also depends on onshore networks that can supply money, equipment, manpower and protection.

"Kinship networks can function effectively as a kind of financial and social infrastructure, and the same is true for pirates," he said. "Pirate groups have historically been able to mobilise credit, obtain equipment, manpower and protection."

"In other words, clan relations can secure real resources, and mobilisation makes piracy feasible. This is precisely why effective counter-piracy requires understanding the onshore networks that enable those operations," Norman added.

These networks also explain why counter-piracy efforts spill over into ordinary commercial life. Said said the fallout goes beyond fishing: cargo boats from Yemen to Somalia have stopped coming. "The boats that used to carry goods from Yemen have also stopped because of the pirate attacks," he said.

Residents push back

Despite the disruption, Mohamed said some residents have tried to stop young men from joining attacks. "Recently a group of local youths took up guns and intended to go to sea, but residents told them not to and that they would only harm the community further," Mohamed said. "It was ordinary civilians, not the authorities, who took the initiative to stop them, because if attacks come from here, the civilians of this town will bear the consequences."

Two local officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to talk to the press, confirmed the restrictions were imposed to weaken local piracy support networks.

"The security restrictions were lifted on 1 October after successful counter-piracy operations led to the release of three ships," the first local official said.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) confirmed on 2 October that three seized vessels – the Honour 25, the Seamull (also known as the Sibu 1) and the Eureka – had been released. The IMO said 44 crew members were freed and reported that five crew members died in the rescue operation involving the Honour 25.

According to the officials, lifting the restrictions has not ended the visible security presence around Bander Beyla. "Military helicopters fly in from the sea over the town regularly, and these flights are denser in remote coastal areas nearby," one local official said. "They are looking for any movement of armed individuals along the coast," the second official said.

Both officials said the helicopters belong to the EU Naval Force, which has conducted counter-piracy operations in the region for years.

Thin security forces

The renewed attacks come amid broader regional instability and competing demands on maritime security forces. Abdinur Abdella, a Somali political and security analyst, said international naval attention shifted after Houthi attacks began in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in late 2023.

"When the Houthis began attacking in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in late 2023 in response to the conflict in Gaza, international navies shifted their focus and efforts to the Houthi threat, creating space for armed groups to exploit security gaps along the Somali coast," Abdella said.

Norman said Puntland's maritime force has also been stretched by other security challenges. "The Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) has been stretched thin by the fight against ISIS in the Al-Miskad mountains. It also lost personnel in the 2023 uprising against Somaliland in Las Anod," he told Al Jazeera. "Some Dhulbahante fighters from Puntland forces, including the PMPF, joined the uprising, taking control of about a third of the territory Somaliland claims."

"Again, this comes back to the clan factor, and the strength of kinship ties and obligations is essential to understanding contemporary pirate networks as well as counter-piracy initiatives," Norman added.

For Bander Beyla's residents, these overlapping security pressures are not abstract geopolitical developments. They determine whether fishermen can work, whether goods arrive and whether people risk being mistaken for pirates.

Said said the presence of aircraft remains a reminder that even with the restrictions lifted, fishermen are still being watched. "We can hear the planes, the louder they are the closer they are, so we know they are watching," he said. "I just want to make a living without having to worry about whether I will make it back to shore safely."