Jan 09 2009
Pirates
The US Navy is joining the makeshift international maritime peacekeeping force in the Gulf of Aden to protect the ships sailing from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea. From who? - pirates. Blame it on situation, an inevitability handed down from our past, like the oil wars and fighting in the Middle East, but Somali pirates have brought piracy back to the forefront of international affairs.
Somalia has been in civil war since 1991 when the military dictator, Said Barre, was overthrown. Since then, there has been varying levels of chaos and armed conflict in the country, as well as all that goes with war - poverty, hunger, desperation, and of course experienced fighters. WIth no strong united government, there was of course no coast guard to patrol Somalia’s waters. The unprotected, tuna-rich waters attracted foreigners, who came in with huge fishing trawlers, skimming the oceans for all they were worth, and leaving the local Somali fishermen with nothing to fish.
With no way to make their livelihood, the fishermen began attacking the illegal fishing ships, demanding taxes for the use of Somali waters. When the fishing ships started fighting back, the Somali fishermen, turned pirates, began going after the unarmed cargo ships. They began the lucrative practice of ransoming the ships, and today have been targeting all commercial vessels, yachts, cargo freighters and oil tankers.
The pirates are now a combination of ex-fishermen, ex-militiamen and a few techs who can operate the hi-tech equipment necessary for the modern day pirate. They are mostly young men, who have become extremely wealthy overnight, able to afford huge houses, fast cars, and second and third wives. But as the international forces organize as well as the pirates have, the Somali’s might not be able to “protect” Somalia’s waters any longer. By making such huge profits, now asking for several million each ransom, drawing international attention, they have inspired their own downfall.
2009-01-09
