Somali piracy reached a ten-year high with 13 incidents in the first seven months of 2026, and coastal states have agreed to build a combined task force.
EAST AFRICA · DEFENCE
Key Facts
—The trend: Danish Shipping’s analysis of International Maritime Bureau data counts 13 incidents off Somalia in the first seven months of 2026, against 5 in all of 2025 and 8 in 2024.
—In perspective: That is a ten-year high, but far below the 2009 to 2011 peak of more than 200 attacks a year.
—The new force: Signatory states of the Djibouti Code of Conduct have agreed to establish a Combined Task Force for the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
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