Tensions escalated this week with US airstrikes on Houthi positions killing up to 130, though the Houthis claim civilian casualties.

The security landscape in Somalia and the wider region remains highly volatile, with sustained insurgent activity, tribal conflicts, and maritime threats.

Piracy off Somalia’s coast has surged, with five incidents this year, including the hijacking of two Yemeni fishing dhows on 27 February, raising concerns over hijacked vessels being used as motherships.

On 18 January, the Yemeni fishing dhow Saytun-2 was reportedly hijacked by six armed Somali pirates off the coast of Puntland, between Garmaal and Bandarbeyla, with the five crew members still unaccounted for and the vessel possibly being used as a mothership for further piracy operations.