Piracy off the Somali coast has been a threat to international shipping since the beginning of Somalia's civil war in the early 1990s. Since 2005 many international organizations including the International Maritime Organization and the World Food Programme have expressed concern over the rise in acts of piracy. Piracy has contributed to a rise in shipping costs and impeded the delivery of food aid shipments. Ninety percent of the World Food Programme's shipments arrive by sea and ships have required a military escort. According to the Kenyan foreign minister Somali pirates have received over $150 million (US dollars) in ransom money during the 12 months prior to November 2008.
On October 7 2008 the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1838 calling on nations with vessels in the area to apply military force to repress the acts of piracy. At the 101st council of the International Maritime Organization India called for a United Nations peacekeeping force under unified command to tackle piracy off Somalia.
非洲东部国家索马里沿海海盗日益猖獗，已严重影响到国际航运。该国海盗兴起于上世纪90年代初的索马里内战。自2005年以来，许多国际组织，其中包括国际海事组织和世界粮食计划署对此地猖獗的海盗行为表示关注。海盗的行为使航运运输成本增加，阻碍了非洲粮食援助的正常运送。世界粮食计划署百分之九十的运送粮食的海上船只要求军队护送。据肯尼亚外交部长透露，2008年11月之前的12月里，索马里海盗已经索取了超过1.5亿美元的赎金。
2008年10月7日，联合国安理会通过1838号决议，呼吁各国船只在该地区对海盗行为实行武力镇压。在国际海事组织的第101次理事会上，印度呼吁联合国授权在维持和平部队的统一指挥下解决索马里海盗。