The Piracy Capital of the World

Earlier this year the Sirius star fell into serious trouble. With a load of two million barrels of oil worth more US$ 100 million, nobody ever guessed that small time Somali pirates would dare touch it, even with a long stick. The latest symptom of 17 years of political chaos in Somalia has bred an international headache, epitomized by neighboring chaotic high seas. Daring heists of the like of a 330 m long ship with a quarter of Saudi Arabia’s daily production on board came hot on the heels of another daredevil trick. A Ukrainian ship carrying weapons for Kenya or Southern Sudan, depending on who you want to believe, had its captors receive a million dollar ransom. In A New York Times article, Jeffrey Gentleman writes that Piracy in Somalia is a highly organized, lucrative, ransom-driven business. In 2008 alone, pirates hijacked more than 25 ships, and in many cases, they were paid million-dollar ransoms to release them. Kenya’s Foreign minister, Moses Wetangula added to the alarm when he said that pirates had collected US$ 150 million in the past year. The question that many affected nations will be asking themselves is how did we get here? The failed state that became of Somalia after the ouster of Farah Aideed in 1991 has turned into a cancer for the world. Right from the US fiasco in Mogadishu in 1993 to the more recent takeover by islamists that was stopped in its tracks by an invasion by Ethiopian troops, the tiny horn Africa country never seems to run out of nasty surprises. What began as a lawless territory where foreign ships could fish without restriction or dump toxic wastes because no government was there to prevent it has turned into an Achilles heel for the shipping route. Somali officials blame the beginning of piracy on illegal fishing in its tuna-rich waters by commercial fishing fleets from around the world. In response, armed Somali fishermen became vigilantes by confronting illegal fishing boats and demanding that they pay a tax. “From there, they got greedy,” Mohamed Osman Aden, a Somali diplomat in Kenya told The New York Times “They started attacking everyone.” Middleton, an author of a report on piracy published by the Chatham House thinktank, say that In a region where legitimate business is difficult, where drought means agriculture is nothing more than subsistence farming, and instability and violence make death a very real prospect, the dangers of engaging in piracy must be weighed against the potentially massive returns. As a result, a dubious pirate economy has emerged on the coast of Somalia, where pirates flush with ransom money can afford to live lavish lives, buy top of the range weapons and technical equipments like hand held Global positioning systems to assist them in their trade. More worryingly for countries that depend on this shipping route like Egypt, the situation of Somalia could jeopardize one of the busiest shipping routes along the Suez Canal onto which Egypt depends on heavily. It is very important for Egypt to secure (the canal). Its one of the most important sources of national income. Its very serious for Egypt, said Imad Gad, an analyst with Al-Ahram Centre for Strategic and Political Studies. Meanwhile residents of a small town in Eyl, along the Somali coast do not have to wring their hands in frustration as the fluid developing situation suddenly brings world attention to them. A Guardian UK report, one of the many that has brought fame on the doorsteps of this small fishing town says that “Eyl was a remote and rundown Somali fishing outpost of 7,000 people. Now, thanks to some spectacular ocean catches, it is a booming mini-town, awash with dollars and heavily armed young men, and boasting a new notoriety: piracy capital of the world.” The unbelievable tales of newfound wealth are spun continuously. Naimo, 21, told the Guardian UK that she had attended a wedding of the sort, “I had never seen before. Its true that girls are interested in marrying pirates because they have a lot of money. Ordinary men cannot afford weddings like this, she said. Farah, 32, a shopkeeper in the same town as Naimo, told the New York Times that the pirates seemed to have money to burn. “If they see a good car that a guy is driving,” he said, “they say, ‘How much? If it’s 30 grand, take 40 and give me the key.’ For residents of Eyl, when a huge ship parks next door; it is a sign of better times ahead. But for the shipping industry and the rest of the world, it is time to put a definite end to the lawlessness of Somalia’s coast. To do that without sorting out the failed state on land is a Herculean task. How that will be done, your guess is as good as mine. Contact: kelviod@yahoo.com