[DEBATE] : (Fwd) Pirates coverage

[Patrick Bond]

(Surprising... it's getting more balanced. This suffers from a failure 
to connect the dots to the US-sponsored Ethiopian invasion of Somalia, 
which ditched the Islamic courts - a nascent government - and hence 
internal Somali selfdiscipline over piracy was destroyed.)

Noble heroes or pirate scourge?

April 13, 2009 Edition 1

Todd Pitman

They've been described as "noble heroes" by sympathetic Somalis, and 
denounced as criminals by critics. But the word most used to describe 
the men holding an American captain off the Horn of Africa is "pirate" - 
conjuring images of the sword-wielding swashbucklers, as romanticised by 
Hollywood.

The 21st century reality, however, is a far cry from that. There are no 
treasure-laden islands or Blackbeard in this part of the world, no 
wooden schooners flying skull and crossbones flags.

Instead, a vigilante movement that years ago tried to defend Somali 
shores has morphed into a full-blown pirate scourge - after fishermen on 
defence stumbled upon an astoundingly lucrative bounty waiting to be had 
on their doorstep: about 25 000 ships, mostly unarmed, passing through 
the Gulf of Aden each year. Picture ragged Somali fishermen armed with 
rocket launchers, GPS systems and satellite phones. Picture tiny skiffs 
cruising the coast of a war-infested nation crawling with gunmen.

Picture bandits with sunglasses in worn shirts firing machine-guns at 
cruise ships, scampering aboard captured trawlers with crude ladders. 
And most of all, picture ransoms, huge ransoms.

"I think when most people think of pirates, they think of Johnny Depp 
and the Pirates of the Caribbean," said security consultant Crispian 
Cuss of the London-based Olive Group.

However, these guys are "just fishermen paid to act as pirates by 
warlords and armed gangs who have taken over a lawless state", he said.

The story of an American captain, seized from the US-flagged Maersk 
Alabama, which visits Durban from time to time, and held by Somali 
pirates since last week on a drifting lifeboat and has now been 
released, is only one of the latest examples of a problem that has 
plagued the region for years.

The modern piracy scourge in the Horn of Africa arose from the ashes of 
Somalia's government, which was overthrown in 1991.

Since then, Somalia has suffered nearly 20 years of anarchy, chaotically 
ruled by rival clans backed by bakkies mounted with anti-aircraft guns. 
Its nominal government controls barely a few blocks.

With no coastguard to defend its shores, Somalis began complaining that 
vessels from Asia and Europe were dumping toxic waste in their waters 
and illegally scooping up red snapper, barracuda and tuna. The rampant 
illegal fishing began destroying the livelihoods of local fishermen.

According to a memo prepared by the staff of the US House armed cervices 
committee last month, Somali clans began resorting "to armed gangs in an 
attempt to stop the foreign vessels. Over time, these gangs had evolved 
into hijacking commercial vessels for ransom as an alternative source of 
income".

Attacks in the Gulf of Aden and along Somalia's coast had risen 
dramatically, from 41 in 2007 to 111 in 2008, according to the 
International Maritime Bureau. Since January, pirates had staged at 
least 66 assaults and currently hold more than a dozen ships and more 
than 200 foreign crew members.

According to the memo, pirates operating off Somalia earned $30 million 
(R273m) in ransom through the seizure of 42 vessels in 2008. Other 
estimates put the figure at $80m. The memo cited one captured pirate as 
saying pirates only took 30 percent of ransoms - on average $1m to $2m 
per boat.

Twenty percent goes to group bosses, 30 percent is spent on bribing 
local officials, and 20 percent goes for capital investment like guns, 
ammunition, fuel, food and cigarettes. Cuss said pirates were becoming 
more sophisticated and in the past two months had, for the first time, 
begun launching night attacks, possibly indicating that they had 
obtained night-vision goggles.

US officials say the illegal trade is believed to be backed by an 
international network of Somali expatriates who offer funds, equipment 
and information in exchange for a cut of the ransom money. The memo said 
Somali buccaneers operated in five well-organised groups, drawing 
members from large clans.

Cuss said the industry was controlled by "warlords and criminal gangs 
who recruit local fishermen and take a lion's share of the profits".

Andrew Mwangura, of the Mombasa-based East African Seafarers' Assistance 
Programme, described the pirates as "desperate people taking desperate 
measures to earn a living". Today, they number around 1 500, up from 
around 100 seven years ago, Mwangura said.

"They're earning a lot of money, and everyone wants to join," he said. 
"They're getting new recruits every day."

On the ground in Somalia, some pirates are seen as "flamboyant 
middle-aged men," said Mahad Shiekh Madar, a car salesman living in the 
north-eastern port town of Bossaso, on the tip of Africa's horn.

"They always travel in beautiful four-wheel-drive luxury cars and look 
like people who are working for a big business company."

Abdulahi Salad, a 43-year-old former pirate in the central coastal 
village of Gaan, said pirates were "different from the ordinary gunmen 
in Somalia. They are not thin, and they have bright faces and are always 
happy".

Indeed, they are often regaled for bringing wads of cash into 
impoverished communities. A local elder in Gaan, Haji Muqtar Ahmed, said 
"being a pirate is not shame… it is believed to be a noble profession".

Ahmed said people there used to make a living fishing, "but now the only 
livelihood they have is the income from the piracy". - Sapa-AP