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The 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking spurred a multilateral maritime effort that turned the Gulf of Aden from a piracy hotspot into a corridor of safety. Today, Somalia’s growing web of bilateral defense pacts risks undoing that progress. Commodore Ranjit Rai (Retd) warns that while bilateral deals promise quick gains, they may fracture hard-won coordination, undermining security, sovereignty, and stability across vital sea lanes.

Somalia’s new defence cooperation MoU with Pakistan may look like routine training and support, but echoes of Hambantota raise concerns of sovereignty traded for dependency. With Chinese influence in the background, the pact could evolve from naval aid into strategic concessions, leaving Mogadishu vulnerable in a region of global maritime consequence.