The Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Ghada Waly on Thursday highlighted the triple threats of transnational organized crime, terrorism, and corruption to Somalia’s stability.
On mission to Somalia, Executive Director Waly underscored that “Somalia faces daunting challenges that range from terrorism to resurgent piracy and from poverty and the consequences of climate change.”
Speaking to UN News in Mogadishu, Ms. Waly said that Somalia faced several interlinked threats, namely piracy, illegal fishing, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, smuggling of migrants, and terrorism, underpinned by money laundering and corruption.
These threats also have an impact far beyond Somalia. 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.
At the same time, unregulated foreign fishing fleets are 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 somber 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. Judges and prosecutors were now recognized as targets of 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 triggered as a direct response to the attack on the Banadir Court Complex, and stands as “living proof that hope can rise from the ashes of disaster.”
In Mogadishu to inaugurate the MPCC, Ms. Waly noted that the complex is now “a fortress for the administration of justice,” with two courtrooms, three prison blocks with a capacity of 700 beds, and accommodation for judges.
“It provides a secure environment for the judiciary and a humane setting for prisoners, fostering rehabilitation and long-term security.”
It is the latest in a series of construction and renovation projects supported by UNODC to help bolster Somalia’s legal and correctional infrastructure. Since 2010, UNODC has constructed new prisons, renovated existing prison facilities, and erected Ministry of Justice buildings and other security sector facilities in Mogadishu, Bosasso, Garowe, and Hargeisa.
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.
Pirates, sensing the international community’s diverted focus to the Red Sea, have increased operations with increased impunity along the Somali coast. Since November 2023, the pirates have hijacked dhows (a traditional sailing boat used in the region) and used the boats 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 disrupt trade routes that many countries rely on for economic stability, food security, and sustainable development,” Ms. Waly warned.
To increase maritime security in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, UNODC is training law enforcement officers on how to detect, interdict, and prosecute illicit trafficking and maritime crimes.
UNODC is also providing essential marine communications and maritime equipment to support law enforcement investigations. In Mogadishu, for instance, Ms. Waly handed over a refurbished vessel to the Somali Police Coast Guard.
Through these and other efforts, Ms. Waly said, UNODC is helping Somalia to improve its operational capabilities and legal framework for prosecuting piracy, while enhancing collaboration on maritime security in the region.
Ms. Waly reiterated UNODC’s commitment to continue and expand its work in Somalia. “Today, we write another chapter in Somalia’s story of resilience and hope, for a future where every Somali citizen can live in peace, security, and dignity.”
The MPCC was funded with the generous support of the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
The refurbished vessel handed over to Somalia was made possible thanks to the financial support of the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (US/INL).
UNODC’s work on maritime security in Somalia and the region are implemented through projects generously funded by the US/INL, Denmark, and the European Union.
UNODC's Global Maritime Crime Programme assists Member States in enhancing and coordinating their efforts against maritime crime. To learn more, click here.
