
In a recent interview with Voice of America, Abdi Hassan Hussein, the former director of intelligence in Puntland, Somalia, said that several recent piracy events along the coast of Somalia were made possible by Yemeni investors. He said the Yemeni criminal investors are taking advantage of the chaos in their own country to provide financing to Somali pirates for vessels, weapons, ammunition, GPS devices, fuel and engines. Apart from the hijacking of the ARIS 13 on March 13 and the MV Casayr (a local Somali fishing vessel) on March 24, pirates have now allegedly hijacked the Al Kausar and the Salama, both described as small cargo vessels on their way to destinations in Somalia. Prior to these hijackings, Somali piracy had been dormant since 2012 . From 2008 until 2012, Somali pirates posed a significant threat to vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden.