Somalia plagued by threats of transnational organised crime

The Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Ghada Waly has highlighted the threats of transnational organized crime, terrorism and corruption that is plaguing Somalia.

On a mission to the Horn of Africa nation on Friday, Executive Director Waly underscored that “Somalia faces daunting challenges that range from terrorism to resurgent piracy, poverty and the consequences of climate change.”

Speaking to UN News in Mogadishu, Ms. Waly said interlinked threats included piracy, illegal fishing, different types of trafficking and smuggling together with terrorism, all underpinned by money laundering and corruption.

These threats also have an impact far beyond Somalia, she pointed out. “Firearms trafficking across the Gulf of Aden supplies Al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups while migrant smugglers operating along Somalia’s northern coast transfer people towards the Arabian Peninsula.”

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At the same time, unregulated foreign fishing fleets are reportedly exploiting Somalia’s marine resources, threatening biodiversity and livelihoods in the Indian Ocean.

Drug trafficking could also be an expanding threat, Ms. Waly added, due to the difficulty of policing Somalia’s long coastline and the country’s connectivity in terms of air travel.

The 2013 attack on the Banadir Court Complex in Mogadishu by the militant group Al-Shabaab stands as a sombre example of these challenges. The 30 deaths, multiple casualties and damage to the facility struck “a heavy blow to the justice sector of Somalia”, Ms. Waly noted.

Meanwhile, judges and prosecutors had fallen victim to terrorist attacks.

Improving the rule of law – important for any government – becomes even more crucial in a country confronting terrorism, organized crime and corruption, which is why Somalia and UNODC have been working together to establish the Mogadishu Prison Court Complex (MPCC).

Conceived, designed and delivered by UNODC, the establishment of the MPCC was a direct response to the attack on the Banadir Court Complex.

Promoting the rule of law does not stop at Somalia’s land borders, however. Piracy off the coast of Somalia had been a threat with global consequences for years, Ms. Waly told UN News, until a recent decline.

But, geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea have escalated insecurity and affected shipping routes, with an estimated 50 per cent decrease in trade vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden due to Houthi rebel attacks from Yemen, which the rebel movement says are in solidarity with Gaza.

Pirates, sensing the international community’s diverted attention, have increased operations with increased impunity along the Somali coast.

Since November 2023, pirates have hijacked dhows (a traditional sailing boat used in the region) and used them to carry out command-and-control attacks against larger vessels.

“These challenges pose a direct risk to international peace and security, endanger the lives of seafarers and are disrupting trade routes that many countries rely on for economic stability, food security and sustainable development,” Ms. Waly warned.