MV LUTUF freed off Somalia after Turkey pays ransom to Somali pirates

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – A Cameroon-flagged cargo vessel carrying weapons, armored military vehicles and other equipment bound for Turkey’s military base in Mogadishu was released by Somali pirates on Saturday after Ankara paid a $2.5 million ransom, according to local media and journalists in Somalia’s Puntland state – an account that directly contradicts a federal government claim that the ship was freed through a military operation.

The vessel, MV Lutuf, had been held by pirates off the coast of Garmal in the Nugal region of Puntland, Somalia’s semi-autonomous northeastern state, since it was hijacked on August 17.

Competing Accounts of the Release

Somalia’s federal Ministry of Defense said in a statement that the ship was released following a joint military operation by the Somali army and the Turkish navy that lasted 10 days and ultimately forced the pirates to let the vessel go. The ministry said the operation left 14 pirates dead.

But Puntland’s Ministry of Security, in a separate statement, rejected that version of events outright. It said no military operation led to the ship’s release, and that the pirates freed MV Lutuf voluntarily after receiving the ransom they had demanded. The ministry said the payment was facilitated by members of the Somali federal government, who it said had been in phone contact with the pirates since August 17, the day the ship was seized.

Puntland’s regional government strongly condemned the payment of ransom, warning that it risks emboldening pirates and undermining efforts to combat piracy along Somalia’s coast.

Puntland Condemns Turkish Navy Killings, Vows Accountability

Puntland authorities also condemned attacks in which the Turkish navy killed more than a dozen people off the region’s coast. The regional government said those killed were innocent civilians, and accused Turkey of using as a pretext the claim that the victims were on their way to join the pirates. Puntland said the Turkish navy destroyed fishermen’s boats in the process and vowed that Turkey would be held accountable for what it called an atrocity.

Deni’s Earlier Accusations Against Ankara

The developments follow accusations levelled days earlier by Puntland President Saeed Abdullahi Deni, who charged that Ankara was responsible for killing innocent fishermen off the regional coast in two separate strikes on August 18 and August 20. Deni said Puntland would not accept its people being killed in such a senseless and cold-blooded manner.

Deni further alleged that piracy in the region had been engineered by outside powers seeking a pretext to maintain a presence along the Puntland coast and exploit the region’s maritime resources, including its fisheries. He said the region would fight piracy with the same resolve it applied earlier this year in its campaign against ISIS-Somalia.

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