Citation for The Times article is at Sean O’Neill , The Times
Somalia has tuna resources and a rich eco-system offshore. However it has had no government since the fall of President Siad Barre's regime. The abyss left by the anarchy which was NOT solved by the UN/US entrance to bring "relief" to the population. Instead the warlords who destroyed that relief attempt now control the Somalia coastal patrol who have discovered that coastal patrol is easily turned to vessel seizure, kidnapping for ransom and outright piracy.
"With the breakdown of civil society, Somalia has degenerated into a no-man's land subject to clan or Islamic Shari'ah law. Owing to continuing unrest in the south, a central government is unlikely to evolve soon. In its place, a decentralized federation of regional political entities has emerged, including the self-proclaimed but unrecognized Republic of Somaliland in the northwest, the self-proclaimed Puntland State in the northeast, Jubaland in the south near Kismayo, and a future Banadir regional administration around Mogadishu when warlords Hussein Aideed (son of late General Farah Aideed) and Ali Mahdi settle their differences. Years of internal conflict have damaged infrastructure in the fishery sector and rendered ineffective any previous oil spill response capability, aids to navigation, and search and rescue capacity in a region of high tanker/cargo traffic to and from the Suez Canal through the Gulf of Aden and calling at Mombasa, the East African shipping hub..."During this year a ship carrying a World Food Programme load of supplies into the chaos of Somalia was taken by the pirates. Her crew was held hostage for over 14 weeks. A rescue vessel sent to provide supplies to the kidnapped ship was also taken.
" Andrew Linnington, of Numast, said. 'We are now seeing ships stolen to order. Pirates will board a ship, cast the crew adrift, or sometimes kill them, before installing their own crew and sailing the vessel to a port where it is re-registered and renamed.'Ships are very prone to attack. They are slow moving and cargo ships are low in the water, making it easy for pirates to climb on board...'"
Article comments
1 - Nancy
Why doesn't somebody put a few rocket grenades of their own on their ship, & blow the fuckers out of the water when they try to attack? Half a dozen counter attacks like this could probably cause these assholes to think twice.