Somali Pirates Hijack Help

Back in November, we looked at the problem of piracy on the seas off the coast of Somalia. Since then, pirates have continued to seize ships and hold them for ransom. As if this wasn't bad enough, many of the vessels taken by pirates contain food aid from humantarian organizations - food aid that is badly needed in Somalia, a country that is gripped by drought and famine. Freelance journalist David Axe recently returned from Somalia and brings us an in-depth look at the challenges sailors face getting UN food aid from Kenya to Somalia through these pirate-infested waters. For more, check out David's website, War is Boring.

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News & Politics

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• humanitarian
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• kenya
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• piracy
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[leffehoegaarden]

@TheDiverdog1 Well said. No mercy for pirates.

[TheDiverdog1]

Pirates allways were stopped by sending them to the bottom. Why put in risk saylors lives by treating them with tweezers. If their crews do not get back home they will stop the business.

[TrackerMedic]

What a farce. What's the price of operating a war ship!? And the taxpayers of whatever country are paying for it, so the food delivered costs 4 times as much as it actually should. How about some common sense? Put some security guards on the vessel delivering food and let them do whatever they have to do to get the food to its destination. There's more to this story.

[throbule]

@EmileGazy:

The fact is, that contrary to your claim that Somlia has stability, it is cactually number one on the worlds failed states list.

Yes, fish were being stolen, and waste was being dumped, but it amuses me that you call these violent, murdering pirates a volunteer force of coast guardsmen, when in fact they are nothing more than a disparate bunch of drug addicted rabble who are simply common thieves.

The whole nation is out of its head chewing Khat and having delusions of grandeur.

[throbule]

@EmileGazy:

Again you state the obvious.

Cell phones are the easiest thing to deal in, and there are millions of these in Africa.

The only reason the economy is run by citizens, is that there is no effective working government.

The trade with India is import of engines, foodstuffs, guns, cars etc - mostly being paid for from the thefts and spoils of piracy, and exports is nil unless you count terrorism.

You patronise me with your dubious knowledge and old facts - you must do better than that.

[throbule]

@EmileGazy:

This threadbare administration has almost no control of the capital, let alone the rest of the country. A septuagenarian warlord, holds the official title of "president of Somalia".

In fact, he is the besieged mayor of a few quarters of Mogadishu.

Somaliland has achieved a measure of stability, while Puntland has become a global centre of piracy.

Thanks to Somalia's anarchy, this lawless mini-state has effectively become a pirate kingdom full of thieves, murderers and fascists.

[throbule]

@EmileGazy:

The fundamental cause of the conflict lies in Somalia's bitter clan rivalries.

In Somalia, almost all of the 9.5 million people are from the same tribe.

They are ethnic Somalis, sharing a common language and loyalty to Islam.

But they are divided into clans, like the Hawiye and the Darod. In turn, these large groups are divided into sub-clans who are then split between hundreds of sub-sub-clans. These groups, each led by a warlord, fight for the scarce resources of an arid country.

[throbule]

@EmileGazy:

The facts.

Somalia: A failed state.

Somalia is a failed state with 2,000 miles of coastline skirting one of the world's great trade routes.

No greater opportunity for piracy could be imagined. Whereas other countries have inefficient police forces and overstretched navies, Somalia has no national institutions whatsoever.

With a grim inevitability, the country's anarchy has steadily assumed global importance.

Somalia has been torn by conflict for most of its 48 years of independence.

[HilarityBribo]

Why don't these commercial ships just carry some weapons so when these monkeys try to pirate they get owned?

[LordDeren85]

fucking americans i would bet anything if you gave even half of the money it costs for a war ship to the "pirates" they would escort the ship its all about money america likes to spend it than attack others to make more it has worked for them so far.