Somali Pirates

Somalia has been racked with civil war for better than two decades, allowing for continuing corruption and a 'War Lord' structure that is kin to street gang government. The result is a very poor country whose citizens are fighting for survival.

Ten years ago, a piracy movement started along the southern coastline of the country where the waters are abundant with seafood. Illegal commercial trawlers began to edge their way into these protected waters with the result being disastrous to the local fishermen trying to feed their families.

The local fishermen began to attack and confiscate the trawlers in a matter of protest. But, greed being greed, the fishermen quickly found that they could extort the owners of the craft for a ransom. Return the vessel and the crew and you'll get paid a handsome amount.

It didn't take long for someone to look north and see the golden chute. The shipping lanes of the Gulf Of Aden carry about 10% of the world's seagoing payloads annually and the lanes run right past the northern Somalian coast. Bigger fish means bigger payoffs, so the pirating operations moved their base to the port city of Eyl.

The Somali pirates are men who are usually between the ages of 20 and 35, and come from a seafaring background formed by the traditions of the coastal fishing trade.

At one time, they borrowed money from the regions wealthy businessmen to purchase fast boats, equipment, and weapons. But, now the businessmen are borrowing from the pirates. The average ransom paid out to the pirates is 2 million dollars and in 2007 there were 31 acts of piracy in the region. In 2008 the number rose sharply, including the most publicized of their hijackings to date.

The MV Faina was taken by pirates in September 2008 and released four months later after the initial demands for eight million in ransom were negotiated to 3.2 million and met. The bigger story here is that ship was under the Ukrainian flag and had a cargo consisting of Tanks and other weapons. It seemed at the time that no one wanted to admit that the cargo was headed anywhere in particular. Eventually, the truth came out and the weapons were slated for Sudan which gave way to fears that the weapons could end up in the hands of terrorists. The pirates were just as surprised as the rest of the World at what they had found and that lead to the lengthy negotiations.

Two things about these pirates stand out. One is their brazen honesty about why they are pirating. The pirates freely admit the only reason they are seizing ships is for the money. The second one is a direct outgrowth of the first; the pirates do everything in their power to protect the crews of the hijacked ship because the crew is a part of the package being held for ransom. Not only do they protect the crew, but they provide them with room and board, sometimes even better than the crews were given on board the captured ship.

In a war torn country where the is no effective central policing agency, the pirates have been able to operate relatively unhindered. The result is that they have turned the Eyl region into a boomtown. Spreading the wealth by building large homes and attracting new businesses has created an economical growth that is huge.

Nother side effect of the pirates' success is th fortification of Eyl. With the high tech weaponry bought either from Yeman or what remnants of A Somali government there is, the pirates have built a stronghold much like those in the days of the Spanish Main. Citizens of Somalia are flocking to the city for the feeling of security.

All of this is creating a lofty status for the pirates among those that live in and around the Eyl area.

Colin Darch, the captain of one ship that was released after a ransom was paid, told the BBC News website he would have welcomed the use of force to resolve the crisis.

They frequently took the trouble to tell us that they hadn't had a proper government for about 17 years

"They made it plain from the start that they were only in it for the ransom money," he said, speaking from his home in Devon.

"We were told that as long we didn't sabotage the venture, we would be all right. They said they needed us in good condition to get the ransom and the owners of the boat made it clear that no money would be paid if we were harmed."

It also should be noted that up until this point, the Somali pirates have not killed one hostage.

On October 7, 2008 the United Nations Security Council adopted resolution no. 1838 which invites any Navy into the region of the Gulf of Aden to assist in combating the piracy. Since that adoption their have been many countries represented by warships off the coast of Somalia.

Arrests and shooting of pirates have increased as more and more Naval military vessels fill the waters in an effort to protect the shipping lanes. Six pirates were sent to Davey Jones' Locker along with their ransom gains as a Chinese warship ship confronted them. The EU has added a force of eight more ships designated soley for the purpose of combating the piracy.

In late 2008, there was a daring French commando raid on a captured yacht that had a crew of thirty plus. The raid occurred after the crew was released and the commandos retrieved a portion of the ransom.

The increase in the number of warships in the region is bound to create a heightened sense of tensions. And there is a fear that a disaster looms on the horizon; something along the line of a tanker getting punctured and causing a major oil spill.

But, apparently some are not giving that any thought as a suggestion was made to assign a nuclear powered aircraft carrier to that fight.

As with most explosive news stories, there is more to the story than meets the eye. In this story told by K'Naan for AlterNet, we are given a Somali citizen's viewpoint of what troubles the outside world has brought to the East African nation's people.

Toxic waste being dumped in the Somali waters while the U.N. looks the other way? Why not? It's only the leaderless Somalis, why should we care? Read Why We Don't Condemn Our Pirates In Somalia and ask yourself these same questions.

A thanks to chefkeem for passing this story to me

What I see happening here is a catastrophe. The ever tightening security in the area is going to reduce the number of available targets for the pirate clans to attack. And since they are clans and not organized under one unified Jolly Roger, there will be fierce fighting amongst the pirates themselves, leading to decay in the port city of Eyl.

Then, the domino theory starts it cataclysmic tumble ending in a military action that will have tragic consequences not unlike the scenario that took place in this very country in 1993 during the Battle Of Mogadishu (popularized in the book and movie Blackhawk Down).

Besides, The Somali pirates of today aren't sporting peg legs, parrots on their shoulders, long curly locks or eye patches.

So, no I don't see the world taking to these guys in the same fashion we embrace the pirates of the Spanish Main.