Battle of Benadir

After Tristão da Cunha and Afonso de Albuquerque sacked the city of Barawa during the Battle of Barawa. Cunha then steered for Mogadishu, wanting to do the same as had done at barawa, he sent Leonez Coutign with offer of peace and friendship to the people of Mogadishu. The people at Mogadishu made a formidable appearance: Great numbers of foot and cuirassiers were patrolling on the shore, the walls of the city were lined with armed men and a considerable body of troops were drawn up before it. Tristão da Cunha being afraid to land, sent one of the Bravan captives to let the people know, that the portuguese came not to denounce war but to offer peace.^[1]

Infront of Cunha they tore the captive to pieces and threatened to serve Cunha in the same manner, if he could dare to come ashore

Cunha was for storming the city, but at the persuasion of all of his officers and Pilots, he dropped the resolution.^[1]

The place was almost inaccessible, strong by its natural situation, and defended by a numerous garrison: the station for our ships extremely dangerous, and very much exposed to the enemy: besides the winter was fast approaching, and the season for sailing almost elapsed, so that if our people should have miscarried in this attempt, their fleet and army would in all probability have met with inevitable destruction. Tristão da Cunha

After the Portuguese conducted a large-scale naval expedition to Suez in 1541, the Ottoman Empire dedicated greater resources into protecting the Red Sea from Portuguese intrusion. To such effect, about 25 galleys were armed and stationed at Aden.^[2]

The Portuguese captain of Sofala, João de Sepúlveda, was informed of the presence of these forces by allied Swahili city-states, mainly Malindi, who also reported that the hostile Ajuran Sultanate had appealed to the Ottomans for military support, in preparation for a rebellion against Portuguese suzerainty in the region. João de Sepúlveda thus set out with 6 small galleys and 100 soldiers to conduct a preemptive strike against the coastal cities of the Ajuran Sultanate. He was joined by an unrecorded number of vessels and warriors from Malindi.^[3]