Letter from Mogadishu: Of pirates, ransom payment and UN leaving

Did the Federal Government of Somalia and the Turkey pay ransom to secure the release of the Cameroon-flagged cargo ship and its crew that was moored off the coast of Puntland?

That’s the question on everyone’s lips in  Mogadishu after authorities in Puntland regional state accused the two countries of securing the release of MV Lutuf by paying an undisclosed amount of money. The vessel was grounded by Somali pirates on August 17, 2026.

Somalia’s defense ministry had on Saturday, August 29, 2026 attributed the release of the cargo ship to a joint military operation with the Turkish forces.

 The ministry claimed the operation had resulted into the killing of four suspected pirates and the arrest of 14 others.

The Somali government claimed that the rescue operation had taken ten days and there had been no casualties among the forces involved.

The Somali Defense Ministry vowed to investigate the suspects and prosecute anyone found to have supported or facilitated the hijacking. It further warned that piracy remains a serious criminal offence carrying severe penalties.

But a day later, Puntland dismissed claims that the vessel was rescued through an operation by the federal government or Turkish forces noting that no operation had taken place in its waters to rescue the vessel.

Puntland officials claimed they had monitored telephone communication between senior Somali government officials and the pirates accusing the officials of acting as intermediaries to facilitate the payment of ransom to release the ship.

While the Puntland administration did not provide independent evidence to support the allegation it went further to warn that ransom payment to pirates was a serious mistake and a threat to collective efforts to combat piracy, respect for international humanitarian and piracy laws.

Puntland which has distanced itself from the Mogadishu administration warned against ransom payments, arguing that they create financial incentives for pirates to continue hijacking vessels and complicate efforts to secure the release of other ships still held by pirates.

The regional state warned against paying ransoms to pirates and called on international partners, including European Union maritime security missions, the United States and other governments, to strengthen cooperation on maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea.

The administration said it remains committed to fighting terrorist groups, pirates and other criminal networks threatening maritime security and public safety.

Somalia on its part maintained that the rescue was carried out under the defense cooperation agreement with Turkey which aims at strengthening maritime security, protecting Somalia’s coastline and combating piracy.

The MV Lutuf left the Turkish port of Tekirdag in late July and was hijacked on August 17 in waters off Nugaal region off the coast of Puntland region.

The hijacking of ships in the Somali waters is on the rise reminiscent of the trend in the early 2000s peaking up till 2011 when the international community stepped in with naval deployments complete with new protections measures for commercial shipping.

If indeed Somalia and Turkey paid ransom to secure the release of MV Lutuf, they will have set a dangerous precedent and the international community will be watching how the other vessels which have been grounded by the pirates will be handled.

Meanwhile, Somalia is in a race against time to secure the commitment of frontline states and finances to keep their troops in the country beyond the December 31, 2026 deadline. 

The United Nations set the date to close down its operations in Mogadishu after the announcement by the Donald Trump administration that the United States would cease supporting the Somalia peace mission by the end of the year.

Whereas the UN Security Council will be meeting in New York later in the year over the future of the peacekeeping mission, Villa Somalia is running ahead to secure the commitment of Uganda to remain in the country and handle security at Halane area which covers the Aden Abdulle international airport as well as the UN camp in Mogadishu.

According to sources in Mogadishu, Somalia is negotiating with Uganda to maintain its troops in the country without operating under the African Union name. 

According to diplomatic sources, Somalia would prefer a bilateral arrangement with Uganda to keep the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) for an additional year. There has been no comment from Uganda or Somalia on this arrangement.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is reported to have dispatched teams to Arab countries to secure funding for keeping the frontline nation troops in Somalia. However, the mission to the Arab nations has fallen short of what the country needs to sustain the troops.

Somalia is hoping it can get commitment from the Arab states before the UN Security Council meeting to present a formidable plan.

Security experts in Villa Somalia opine that the country will need the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) to remain intact until 2028 despite talk about gradual withdrawal of the troops drawn from Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Egypt and Uganda as well as police from Nigeria and Egypt.

Kenya which has its soldiers in Somalia as one of the troop contributing countries secures Jubbaland ensuring there are no attacks to major towns in the regional state like Kismayo, Dhobley and Afmadhow.

The Department of Defense in Nairobi must be watching with keen interest as the UN draws down and Somalia steps up to get funds to sustain the troops under a new arrangement.

Kenya deployed her soldiers into Somalia in October 2011 under operation Linda Nchi to disrupt terror gang Al- Shabaab attacks on its territory especially the tourism sector before they were integrated into the African Union mission in February 2012 and re-hatted as AMISOM troops.