b: I assume you mean ´our´ definition of anti-semitic and not AIPAC´s 😉

Posted by: Parviz | Apr 11 2009 10:21 utc | 3

@heru-ur – However, just to be clear, one may post words that are anti-Israel-government, correct?
Definitely yes. But back to Africa please.
Thanks Anthony – yes – not new but a pretty good summary A Taste of AFRICOM: Somalia did find peace and tried to stop piracy until the US bombed the shit out of it in 2006

Posted by: b | Apr 11 2009 11:03 utc | 5

I have a bone to pick with the US Navy following a complete breakdown in the rescue of Captain Phillips, now held by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. What did the Navy think their job was the second the captain went overboard? Might it have been to instantaneously blow the little life boat the 4 pirates were still in to smithereens. If they didn’t want to risk injuring the captain in the water by pieces of the boat hitting him, they coudl have at least held 50 caliber auto fire on the boat covering the captain’s escape. The captain was thinking; but obviously he was way ahead of our military minds on the scene. Whoever was in charge on the USS Bainbridge needs a court martial. Letting the pirates open fire on the captain in the water was derelict.

Posted by: David | Apr 11 2009 14:37 utc | 7

xinhua:

The hardline Islamist rebel group of Al-Shabaab in Somalia on Saturday called the memorandum of understanding signed between Kenya and Somalia as “null and void,” warning Kenya not to send its forces to the war-torn country.
…
“We know Kenya is trying to easily take the oil in south Somalia but we warned them that there are Mujahideens (holy warriors) who will burn you with the oil there. Your agreement is null and void,” Sheikh Muqtar Robow Abu Mansur, spokesman for the radical group, told reporters in the southern town of Baidoa.
The agreement is seen by many including some Somali government officials as compromising the territorial integrity of Somalia and inadvertently ceding land to Kenya.
…
Abu Mansur vowed to attack Kenya forces if, as he put it, they set foot on Somali soil under the pretext of the MoU with the Somali government.
In the Somali capital Mogadishu, insurgent fighters on Saturday launched mortar attacks against the sea port where reports said supplies were being unloaded for the African Union peacekeeping forces in the city.
Three people were confirmed dead and nearly 20 others wounded after the African peacekeepers responded with heavy artillery fire at the launch sites of the mortars in residential areas in the south of Mogadishu.
The raid came only hours after the spokesman for Al-Shabaab accused the Somali government of selling “Somali land to Kenya” and asked his fighters to continue attacks on government positions and AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu.

yale global: Somalia’s Piracy Offers Lessons in Global Governance

Contrary to common perception, the swift and coordinated international response to piracy off Somalia’s coast has been less of a success than reports make it out to be. In fact, it masks deeper problems of unfairness in international economic order and local governance. Somalia’s pirates are a motley crew: some are fishermen defending their turf, while others are guns for hire. And the international response to these pirates has been, not surprisingly, military. But more is needed, including action that addresses the deeper issue in Somalia: a lack of economic growth and good governance. Yet, UN Secretary General Moon’s appeal to 50 countries for broader assistance received almost no response. Of the countries that contributed naval vessels to the anti-piracy operation, half are nations engaged in fishing in the Indian Ocean with a vested interest in deterring piracy. Broader lessons from Somalia’s piracy problem are three. Lack of sufficient governance not only breeds criminals, it also encourages the exploitation of a country’s resources by stronger powers. War’s combatants are no longer simply nation states, and war’s resolution no longer relies on vanquishing the enemy in battle, but requires political solution. Finally, despite idealist talk of protecting human security by comprehensive means, the response to security issues remains decidedly military. Such conclusions leave the question of whether the global commons can really be protected. – YaleGlobal
…
The wave of piracy off Somalia began in 1991 following the collapse of the Barre regime. Dumping of toxic and hazardous wastes by international companies (possibly with organized crime involvement) increased. Unlicensed foreign fishing vessels eagerly targeted Somalia’s fish-rich waters. Local fishermen claimed that foreign boats use intimidation tactics such as ramming and hiring local militants to harass them.
In response disaffected fishermen then began attacking foreign vessels in the early 1990s, ultimately leading to full-scale piracy and hostage-taking. In 2005 a UN agency estimated that 700 foreign fishing vessels were operating in Somali waters, many employing illegal and destructive fishing methods.
In 2006 the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), a coalition of Islamist courts (that had sprung up to provide local law and order after 1991) seeking to create an Islamist state seized power in most of southern Somalia. They reasserted some control over Somali waters: foreign incursions and piracy declined. Ethiopia (supported by the US and the West) invaded Somalia in order to oust the ICU. After the ICU’s ouster the chaos off Somali’s increased. Fishermen fruitlessly complained to the UN about renewed poaching and dumping.
Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, UN Special Envoy for Somalia, in July 2008 called the situation “…a disaster off the Somali coast, a disaster [for] the Somali environment, [and] the Somali population.” The situation that developed has been described by Peter Lehr, of St. Andrew’s University, as “a resource swap” with Somalis taking $100 million annually in ransoms while Europeans and Asian poach $300 million in fish.
What began as a defensive movement by local fishermen has evolved into a complex amalgamation of banditry, organized crime, freebooting, and insurgency targeting all types of vessels from fishing trawlers to oil tankers.
…
The international response has been almost entirely naval. At least 20 countries have committed or promised ships for what, on the surface, looks like a 19th century punitive expedition where the strong collude to protect their economic interests while protecting “civilizing” efforts (in this case delivery of food aid). While over half the nations contributing ships are major global or Indian Ocean fishing nations; none have offered significant resources to help address the deeper roots of piracy.
This military-centric approach erodes the legitimacy of international operations and instead creates anti-imperialist responses that help fuel extremism and discontent.
…
What insights can be gleaned from this situation? A cynical view suggests that the powerful still prefer military approaches to problems rather than measures requiring broader, multifaceted solutions. A more charitable assessment would suggest that, intent and rhetoric to the contrary, the capacity and will to tackle every problem comprehensively does not yet exist. Reality undoubtedly lies somewhere in the middle. Three points stand-out.
First, it is now assumed axiomatic that un- or under-governed spaces have become breeding grounds for rogue groups threatening the international community and global economic system. However, this assumption is incomplete. Weakly governed and failed states are often themselves victimized by foreigners.
Second, the nature of warfare has changed is another accepted truth. War is no longer characterized primarily by conventional clashes between states, but fought “amongst the people” by combatants including not only states but hybrid networks of, criminal gangs, insurgents and international terrorists. In this situation military force alone is not sufficient to combat such threats; it should be employed to support political solutions and human security. This, however, requires non-military capabilities, resources, patience, and political and public will that are often lacking.
Third, despite the prevalence of rhetoric about preventing threats through human security states often resort to application of force—in pursuit of short-term, self-interests. Ultimately, the will and capacity to pursue comprehensive strategies that protect both the “winners” and “losers” of globalization appear insufficient. This begs the question of whether the global commons really can be secured for the common good. Yet such a question must be answered soon as global inequalities, economic recession, degradation of and competition over natural resources, climate change, and demographic pressures threaten not just the weak but all humanity.

Posted by: b real | Apr 12 2009 5:40 utc | 9

i don’t think that hypocrisy is the correct word here
What about the Filipinos? Piracy focus seen as hypocritical

MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) – The international community is showing hypocrisy by suddenly focussing on Somali piracy because of the capture of one American, a regional maritime group said on Saturday.
Sea gangs from the lawless Horn of Africa nation grabbed world headlines this week when they briefly hijacked the U.S. freighter Maersk Alabama. Its 20 crew retook control, but the gunmen took captain Richard Phillips hostage on a lifeboat.
The global media has tracked in great detail each twist and turn of the drama as it unfolds, including a failed attempt to swim to safety by the former Boston taxi driver.
But Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers’ Assistance Programme said it was a pity similar attention was not paid to the nearly 250 other hostages — all from poorer nations — currently being held by other Somali pirates.
The biggest nationality represented, at 92, is Filipino.
“The media and the international community at large is just demonstrating its hypocrisy,” he said in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, where the 17,000-tonne Alabama was due on Saturday.
“Journalists have flooded here from all over the world because of one American captain. What about all the others, from Bangladesh, from Pakistan, from the Philippines, some of whom have been held now for months?”
…
Mwangura said the same international focus had highlighted the long-running crime wave off Somalia in the past — but only when white people from rich nations were involved.
When the gangs seized the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star last year, everyone paid attention. Not just because it was carrying $100 million (68.2 million pounds) worth of crude oil, he said, but because it had two British crewmen on board too.
“It was the same in 2005. The media went crazy when that luxury cruise liner, the Seabourn Spirit, was attacked with lots of white tourists on board. And they weren’t even hijacked.”

Q&A: Who are the Somali pirates?

HOW DID THEY START?
* When warlords toppled former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, Somalia collapsed into anarchy. That led to a wave of illegal fishing, plus dumping of toxic and industrial waste, in Somali waters by foreign boats from Asia and Europe.
* Toward the end of the decade, local fishermen and militia formed groups with names like the “Somali Coastguards” and the “National Volunteer Coastguards,” to drive away or apprehend the vessels from South Korea, Italy, Spain, Thailand and elsewhere.
* Seeing how easy it was to capture vessels, those groups metamorphosed this decade into old-fashioned pirate gangs, becoming ever more sophisticated in methods and bold in range.
HOW DO THEY OPERATE?
* In the early days, pirates with a few guns used fishing boats to approach vessels, and then simply tried to scramble on board or throw ropes up.
* As they gained money from ransoms, plus experience, they bought speedboats, tracking devices and a wider range of weapons. Typically these days, a “mother ship” will first spot a target, after which a couple of speedboats will be launched to approach a boat on either side and board with hooks and ladders.
* Pirates sometimes fire shots over the bow to scare sailors. Often, boats will try defensive action like zigzagging in the sea or even spraying the pirates with water-hoses. Most vessels, however, are unarmed in keeping with international maritime practice, so sailors normally surrender quickly once the pirates are on deck.
* Hostages say they are generally well treated, with the pirates viewing them as common men caught in a wider game: the pursuit of million-dollar ransoms from owners. Some have described the pirates slaughtering and roasting goats on board to feed them, and passing around satellite phones to let them call loved ones back home.

Posted by: b real | Apr 12 2009 7:53 utc | 11

this particular story appears to have been pulled from the CNN website (all links to it redirect to a reframed story that completely drops the headline & lead grafs), but it was copied elsewhere
Unidentified copters buzz Somali ‘pirate hub’

(CNN) — Two low-flying helicopters drifted over a suspected pirate base in northeast Somalia on Sunday morning, sending residents into a panic, a local journalist source told CNN.
Residents believed the helicopters were planning an air raid over the port of Harardhere, according to the journalist.
“The fishermen decided not to fish in the morning because of the helicopters, they are scared,” the journalist said.
The reported sighting comes a day after the FBI announced it is launching a criminal investigation into the hijacking of a U.S.-flagged cargo ship by Somali pirates, two law enforcement officials told CNN. The four pirates took the ship’s captain, Richard Phillips, hostage.

Posted by: b real | Apr 12 2009 17:13 utc | 13

Hmm – Harardera is not in northeast Somalia but some 15 miles off the coast in the center. Some 150 – 200 buildings.
Interestingly Google has a clear satellite shot of it with no other clear shot around. Someone must have ordered that special shot from the satellite service (two years ago according to Google earth).

Posted by: b | Apr 12 2009 17:53 utc | 15

On the cargo plane that went down in Lake Victoria, I ran across this article, dated Friday, April 10th, 2009 at 9:42 am, on a technical diving site, that says the black box was recovered:

Crashed Russian plane ’split open like an egg’ says Navy diver
The fuselage of the Ilyshin II 76 cargo plane which burst into flames and plowed into Lake Victoria near Entebbe on March 9, is ’split wide open, like an egg’, says the commander of the US Navy diving-team which has recovered the flight recorder. After a month-long search and recovery effort, US service members have now completed diving operations in Lake Victoria and have turned over the information retrieved from the wreckage concerning the March 9 IL-76 aircraft crash to the Ugandan investigating authorities.
“Divers were able to confirm the debris field, spread over a kilometer of the lake bed, and provided the coordinates to the CAA for their investigations. Divers located sections of both wings, parts of the fuselage, landing gear with four tires and four engines. ll of which were partly embedded into the silt, including the engines,” says Captain Corinne Jones, public affairs officer at HOA_US Africom command in Djibouti.
…
Uganda Civil Aviation Affairs Department representative Mr. Ignie Igunduura had already said in an email earlier this month that until the flight-recorder can be brought to the surface and examined, they won’t be able to determine the exact cause of the crash. He has not responded to requests for comment today.

I also ran across this series of photos by Photographer Veronique de Viguerie of the Somali pirate group, the Central Regional Coast Guard, around Hobyo, that I don’t think has been linked here before.

Posted by: xcroc | Apr 12 2009 18:26 utc | 17

arcturus – as i pointed out above in another link, there was a weapons shipment to the port of mogadishu on saturday. the TFG is claiming it was for their new security forces, the opposition claims it for beefing up AMISOM forces. the maersk alabama stopped at the port in djibouti before heading to mombasa, kenya. articles at the time said the alabama was due to arrive in mombasa on april 16th. yet once the ship got the clearance to proceed w/o the captain from where it had anchored b/c of the hijacking attempt, the remainder of the trip to mombasa only took roughly 50 hours & it arrived on friday night.
the fbi was waiting there & is reportedly treating the ship as a crime scene, which prevents any cargo from being unloaded, in the presence of pesky journalists, until their investigations are completed. convenient?
was the maersk alabama going to drop off some cargo in mogadishu before arriving in mombasa on the 16th? or, and it is entirely possible, were the media rpts wrong on that date?

Posted by: b real | Apr 12 2009 20:32 utc | 19

Why doesn’t somebody just submit a FOIA request for the Packing Lists and Bills of Lading?

Posted by: …—… | Apr 13 2009 1:55 utc | 21

from a new update from ecoterra international

While the cowboy spin-doctors have to cover up and prepare for more evolving “LtCol.Custer”-like operations, they wrongfully reported through their media-outlets that the mediation efforts of Somali elders and respected leaders to save all the lives and free Captain Phillips unharmed had broken down. What the Sioux and Cheyenne were for Custer in 1875, the Somali Majerteen and HabrGedir clans are for U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus and the US Navy in Somalia today and another Afghanistan seems to be in the making.
Well, it is correct that the mediation offer by the elders had a set-back, when the US Navy through a US-passport-holding Somali interpretor on board of USS Bainchild had refused the plan to rescue the captain by the only feasible and quick, but peaceful solution available, which was characterized by an “everybody-goes-home” approach, which could have been achieved by traditional Somali peacemaking efforts. But the Americans insisted that they wanted to arrest the four young Somali pirates, have them in their custody and tried elsewhere – and it seems that they wanted this more than to save the life of the captain, because the Navy meanwhile had tried a poking approach by sending a commando-boat towards the lifeboat, where the hostage and his captors were holding out, in order to see how quick they would get some response-fire – this already was a chapter from the get-them-down manual.
Someone near US-American President Obama and close to the next-of-kin of the US Captain should have made a move already then and not allowed even the slightest thought to write off the captain as collateral for the mere satisfaction of having either killed or captured a few illiterate and mislead Somali youngsters. Was the FBI therefore already working on another script for Black Hawk Down II ?
Apparently they were not really interested to save lives and avert a disaster, since post-mortem-like hero stories about the American captain were already circulated, as if it had been decided to sacrifice him in a similar fashion as the French – with their ill-advised and ill-conceived operation – sacrificed Florent Lemacon – the captain of F/Y Tanit. What the strategists of the FBI negotiation team simply did not understand was that the elders – for handing over the captain without any ransom – would have had to bring back the young pirate fellows to their parents, otherwise they would have no mandate from them to act and would come home empty-handed. Without the proposed agreement the elders could do not much, because any form of handing over the captain together with the boys to the Americans would have been a suicide mission for the elders themselves and it would have been sure death for them back home on land.
Actually the elders do not even have the right to hand over Somali nationals to a foreign nation, since that is extradition, which only the government (TFG) could do. Still the elders tried by various means and lines of remote communication to talk some sense into the pirate boys.
This morning one injured pirate, who had been stabbed during the pirate-attack by a US-sailor, gave himself up and was since then held on the warship, now serving as the “one injured pirate who was captured” in the spin, though he was since long not anymore on the boat when his 3 compatriots succumbed in Navy-Seal sniper fire.
As long as the Americans wanted to have it all there was no peaceful solution for the others – and that was clear since days, though the Pentagon in between seemed to prefer another strategy even more, which was involving a ransom payment to whoever brings them the captain alive and the pirate boys in whatever condition. This means they would have even closed a deal with the devil in order to get what they wanted – which was the pirates and the captain – and as it seems they wanted them in that order of priorities, which means death to the pirates since surely they had to at least try credibly to get the captain out alive. Escalation was therefore already preprogrammed.
The offer by the elders and peacemakers, though they were angry by the way they were handled by the US Navy, still stood. But the FBI apparently was already working also on another script and was not so much interested to save lives. With one injured pirate out and a mock attack repulsed, nobody could have believed that this would have made the remaining three young rouges less dangerous and ready to take the captain down with them. The teams therefore were already preparing to take the other three down as soon there was any possibility and it was done when the US-Americans finally managed to achieve what they wanted in their way: 3 pirates dead – captain free, was the message the world received this evening, while still several pirate groups with hostage vessels were preparing another go to avert this and pirates from the German-owned hostage-vessel HANSA STAVANGER also opted for another expedition to go into the stand-off site.
Reportedly the commander of USS Bainbridge, Lieutenant Commander David Fowler, gave the order to take the pirates down. Apparently there was an AK pointed at tied-up Philips and the commander authorized snipers to take their shots. It was a split section decision. They had standing authority from the US President to take action in the case of an imminent threat to the hostage’s life.
The SEAL snipers were on Bainbridge about 20 meters or so from the life boat and sea conditions were ‘deteriorating’. It sounded like Bainbridge had the life boat under tow at the time. Are the combined naval strategists now preparing for even another script of Black Hawk Down II?
Harardheere resident Hassan Jimale told Reuters this morning: “We woke with loud sounds of helicopters flying over Haradheere and we could see the legs and faces of white soldiers as the helicopter flew low. Maybe they are monitoring the sea or pirates planning to reinforce those on the lifeboat.” What Reuters didn’t report is the fact that while resident scrambled for safety because they feared an air-raid and bombings, the NATO choppers dropped leaflets this time and also threw some empty NATO bags outside the village.
Do the spin-doctors believe that such PR can solve the problem or is that a psyops-preparation of the long awaited “anti-piracy invasion” of Somalia?
Responding to the news of Cpt. Phillips’ rescue, US-American President Obama said: “I share the country’s admiration for the bravery of Captain Phillips and his selfless concern for his crew. His courage is a model for all Americans.” and he added: “I am very pleased that Captain Phillips has been rescued and is safely on board the USS Boxer.” Obama said also: “We remain resolved to halt the rise of piracy in this region.”
Obama in his first public statement on the situation elaborated then: “To achieve that goal, we must continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks, be prepared to interdict acts of piracy and ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes.”
Well said, but if US-Americans and their allies will be able to assist in the most important goal of a prevention policy – the re-establishment of law and justice as well as the sound socio-economic development of Somalia remains questionable, since already moment after the news made the rounds Somali pirates vowed retaliation after the captain’ captors were killed, thereby making obsolete the mediation efforts of elders, parents, local leaders and humanitarian groups.
“Every country will be treated the way it treats us,” said Abdullahi Lami, one of the pirates holding a Greek ship anchored in the pirate den of Gaan, a central Somali town. “In the future, America will be the one mourning and crying,” he told The Associated Press by telephone. “We will retaliate for the killings of our men.”
He gave no details and it was not clear in what way the pirates could retaliate, though some fear they could take their revenge on the hundreds of other foreign nationals they hold on seized ships, AP reported.
“The Somali government wanted the drama to end in a peaceful way, but anyone who is involved in this latest case had the choice to use violence or other means,” Abdulkhadir Walayo, the Somali prime minister’s spokesman, told The Associated Press.
Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said the American operation “could escalate violence in this part of the world, no question about it.”
Jamac Habeb, a 30-year-old self-proclaimed pirate, told The Associated Press that the three pirates’ deaths were “a painful experience.” Speaking from the pirate hub, Eyl, he added: “this will be a good lesson for us.” “From now on, if we capture foreign ships and their respective countries try to attack us, we will kill them,” Habeb said. “Now they became our number one enemy,” he said of U.S. forces.
Another illusive pirate leader, who calls himself Mr.Hussein, currently in the city of Eyl in Puntland, told Horseed Media he was unhappy to hear the deaths of his friends killed by US and French navy forces. Hussein stated that he will avenge his slain friends, promising to hijack more western ships.“….we will continue and will never stop…. I promise to avenge my fallen friends, they will pay for what they did…..” said the pirate king. Hussein who usually uses different aliases told a Horseed Media reporter in Garowe, the capital of Puntland, that his group will change their tactics of engaging the ships that they hijack. He did not elaborate on, what their new tactic would be.
The threats from one of the biggest pirate groups in Somalia came just hours after the US navy rescued an American Captain, killing 3 Somali pirates. Hussein told the local media that his group will not stop their piracy activities, and he promised more hijackings in the near future.
So far it had been completely ruled out for Somali pirates to harm captive foreign crews and there is only one isolated case several years ago known, whereby a crew member of a Taiwanese fishing boat hijacked for six months was killed by pirates. Somali pirates until today were proud to have a humanitarian code of conduct and punished their own for any violation.
Many analysts as well as humanitarian groups involved in mediation efforts fear that it will be extremely difficult now to appeal to pirates to respect human live and the dignity of innocent seafarers or to gain access if sailors fall ill.
Andrew Mwangura of the Seafarers Assistance programme also criticized on national television in Kenya the media hype concerning the fatal operation for the rescued US-American captain, while often the media not even report when whole crews of Filipinos or other nationalities are rescued after months of tough negotiations and mediation by people with the right knowledge and respect for any human live.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the Elysée is busy cooking up the “how it all happened”-version of President Sarkozy, who is said to have ordered the second and final but bungled and fatal commando attack on F/Y Tanit, which killed the one hostage, who – as captain – actually could have – and maybe had – told the French attackers and their German backers to back off.
Why all the chin-up media stunts, if Sarkozy just can watch the full movies of the 24/7 video documentation of the Tanit case available to him? The tapes of the intercepted radio communications between pirates and allies, which allegedly revealed that the pirates would execute their hostages and blow up their vessel might reveal that they might have planned this only for the case of a deadly attack against them. Leaked secret requests to bring those arrested 3 Somali pirates from the F/Y Tanit case back to Somalia (or was this only concerning the dead bodies?) revealed at least the attempt to let the captured witnesses disappear. The French were so keen to take the first two lots of pirates to Paris, why not necessarily these three? And where are the others, many Somalis ask.
Again and again the question: Where are the others? French officials said three pirates were shot from afar by French snipers, two falling dead immediately while another dropped into the sea (dead or alive?), while overflying aircraft had reported earlier at least 7-8 pirates of the 14 men gang being on the Tanit.
Mr Lemacon is believed to have died in an exchange of fire as he tried to duck down the yacht’s hatch, was he or was he shot in the head through the deck from above? In an admission that casts doubts over the decision to free the hostages by force, Defence Minister Herve Morin said he could not rule out the possibility that Florent Lemacon had been hit by a French commando’s bullet. “There will be a judicial inquiry,” he told French radio and promised a post-mortem, though it was not revealed where the body is at the moment at it was not immediately known if Lemacon’s body was on the plane repatriating the other hostages, or whether it would be transported separately.
Two pirates were confirmed dead, while another three were caught and are now expected to be taken to France to stand trial.
“After two successful armed assaults to save citizens from yachts in the same waters last year, Sarkozy’s luck appears to have run out” writes the London Times, whereby the author overlooks that in the first case the crew and vessel were not freed by an armed assault but by an amicable ransom deal from which everybody walked away safely – only to find French helicopter units much later swooping after every Dahir, Tarik and Hassan who dared that day to be in the open of the area on land, where the French then shot-up a car travelling along the coast, which might have had connections with the pirates, and arrested the six passengers.
The 50+20 members of the combined French and whosoever death squad specifically flew in to execute the assault on the pirates on F/Y TANIT and took only six minutes to create a totally unnecessary outcome, which certainly will have far reaching consequences.
Though we know from the case of Princess Diana how difficult it will be to establish the truth and nothing but the truth in Paris and Hafun – we believe that we all owe a thorough investigation to Florent Lemarcon, who only wanted to stay away from all the inhumanity of western so called civilization and find with his wife and son a better world and lifestyle. Speaking to French newspaper Ouest France before the travel, Captain Lemacon said they wanted to change their priorities in life. “We don’t want our child to receive the sort of education that the government is concocting for us. We have got rid of the television and everything that seemed superfluous to concentrate on what is essential,” he said.
Was that what made him himself superfluous or the least priority on the save-the-hostages list of the commando-attack? His widow, son and two friends, who are the freed hostages, arrived today at a military airport outside Paris – and the press was not permitted to hear what they had to say. It is not so sure that this was done to give the survivors some respect and peace or to prepare them and their answers for the many questions, which still are open. Florent Lemacon’s father, Francis Lemacon, issued a statement today paying tribute to his son: “Florent and his wife, with Colin on the Tanit, chose a lifestyle.
In their own way, they fought for their beliefs: in peace, ecology, tolerance and the right to live differently, solidarity and the value of sharing,” he said. “With his moral sense, a pacifist is dead. With his love for Africa and Africans, a traveller is dead. With his rejection of comfort, of the world of money, a dreamer is dead. “With his passion for, and knowledge of the ocean, a sailor is dead. With his taste for freedom, a philosopher and musician is dead.”
Many believe Florent Lemacon would have managed to deal with the pirates in a friendly way and even by himself would have achieved a peaceful outcome – even if helped by nobody – if only the French Navy would not have interfered.
“We have copious human history to show us that mass retaliation does not work”, writes Rowan Wolf in his blog and concludes: “What they do is to create more people to “join the cause” to engage in more indiscriminate attacks, which face harsher and more wide spread retaliation. Hence, virtually all societies embrace the rule of law to control the destructive nature of mass revenge. When a crime has been committed, those who are the perpetrators are sought out and brought to trial. The evidence is presented and the penalty for those deemed guilty meted out.
In the United States, this embracing of mass retaliation was not born under the Bush administration. It was just legitimated and nurtured under that administration.
Do we have a situation of a wild fire that now burns hotly in the breasts of many Americans [and French and Somalis]? Has a self-righteous blood lust become an acceptable response? Are the rash of seemingly indiscriminate murders around the countries a manifestation of this same illness? I fear they are, and I am both saddened and horrified by what we might become.” And the further escalation and repercussions can already be observed in Somalia: Most pirate gangs have taken the at least some or the majority of the vessel’s crew-members off the ships and hold them now in hideouts on land – away from the relative comfort on the vessels and under the same horrible conditions the local people have to survive.

Posted by: b real | Apr 13 2009 5:25 utc | 23

shabelle media: Somali government hails rescue of U.S. hostage

NAIROBI (Sh. M. Network) — Somalia’s fledgling government applauded on Sunday the release of an American hostage whose five-day capture by pirates in the Indian Ocean highlighted lawlessness both in and off the Horn of Africa nation.
“We are very happy at this action and the outcome,” Foreign Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Omaar told Reuters by telephone from Djibouti. “It shows that the world will not accept criminality.”
Asked what he knew about the operation to free ship captain Richard Phillips, Omaar said details needed to be kept confidential. “I am not surprised, nor will anyone be surprised, at the actions of the American government to save its citizen and ensure the security of its people.”

lloyd’s list:

PIRATES operating off Somalia have said the weekend’s attacks by French and US forces have raised the stakes in the escalating maritime crisis, and hinted that they would avenge the deaths of their comrades.
The US Navy SEAL operation to free Maersk Alabama master Richard Phillips accounted for the deaths of three pirates, while Friday’s French commando raid on captured yacht Tanit killed two of the pirates but also one hostage.
…
Somali pirates so far have not harmed hostages, except for a Taiwanese crewmember killed before his fishing vessel was released in June 2007. Some former hostages from more recent incidents have said they were treated and fed well.

lloyd’s list:

The Maritime Security Centre (Horn of Africa), in co-operation with the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting centre, is warning transiting vessels to stay at 600 miles from the Somali coast, while the US Navy’s Maritime Liason Office (Marlo) in Bahrain has issued similar advice.
“Vessels not making scheduled calls to ports in Somalia should keep as far away as possible from the Somali coast, preferably more than 600nm from the coast line and when routing north/south consider keeping east of 060°E longitude until east of Seychelles,” MSCHOA and IMB warned.

Posted by: b real | Apr 13 2009 15:31 utc | 25

ap:

[Vice Adm. Bill Gortney] said the pirates were armed with AK-47s and small-caliber pistols and were pointing the rifles at the captain when the commander of the nearby destroyer Bainbridge gave the order to open fire.
Gortney, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said the White House had given “very clear guidance and authority” to take action if Phillips’ life was in danger.
…
Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, was not hurt in several minutes of gunfire and the Navy’s 5th Fleet said he was resting comfortably on a U.S. warship after receiving a medical exam.

wait? wasn’t gortney bragging about three bullets, three dead teenagers? what “several minutes of gunfire”?

The Defense Department twice asked Obama for permission to use military force to rescue Phillips, most recently late Friday evening, U.S. officials said. On Saturday morning, Obama signed off on the Pentagon’s request, as he had a day earlier, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The Navy said Phillips was freed at 7:19 p.m. local time. He was taken aboard the Norfolk, Virginia-based Bainbridge and then flown to the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship Boxer for the medical exam, 5th Fleet spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said.
Gortney said Richard Phillips was found to be in good health and suffered no apparent injuries..
…
Crew members said their ordeal had begun Wednesday with the Somali pirates hauling themselves up from a small boat bobbing on the surface of the Indian Ocean far below.
As the pirates shot in the air, Phillips told his crew to lock themselves in a cabin and surrendered himself to safeguard his men, crew members said.
Phillips was then held hostage in an enclosed lifeboat that was closely watched by U.S. warships and a helicopter in an increasingly tense standoff. The pirates were believed armed with pistols and AK-47 assault rifles.

big gap in the story there b/w those last two paragraphs

Talks to free Phillips began Thursday with the captain of the USS Bainbridge talking to the pirates under instruction from FBI hostage negotiators on board the U.S. destroyer. The pirates had threatened to kill Phillips if attacked.
A government official and others in Somalia with knowledge of the situation had reported hours earlier that negotiations for Phillips’ release had broken down.
Three U.S. warships were within easy reach of the lifeboat on Saturday. The U.S. Navy had assumed the pirates would try to get their hostage to shore, where they could have hidden him on Somalia’s lawless soil and been in a stronger position to negotiate a ransom.
“The Somali government wanted the drama to end in a peaceful way, but any one who is involved in this latest case had the choice to use violence or other means,” Abdulkhadir Walayo, the prime minister’s spokesman, told The Associated Press. “Any way, we see it will be a good lesson for the pirates or any one else involved in this dirty business.”
…
The district commissioner of the central Mudug region said talks on freeing Phillips had gone on all day Saturday, with clan elders from his area talking by satellite telephone and through a translator with Americans, but collapsed late Saturday night.

Posted by: b real | Apr 14 2009 3:18 utc | 27

reposted link from an earlier thread
Piratestan Series – part one

Biyokulule Online brings together excerpts of news articles that relate to the transformation of Puntland Regional Government into Piratestan fiefdom. The diversity of the news coverage and the quality of news sources ensure that this Piratestan series will have a lasting impact on our readers. The theme that runs through this series is, of course, the emergence of sea piracy in Puntland, largely due to lack of an effective regional administration. The series aims for readers who need a summarizing sketch of Piratestan`s evolution. This in-depth zooming shows the importance of the agenda of truth-finding approach. The series also offer its readers to focus and examine it again and again, in order to help them develop newer, more inclusive scrutiny to the underworld of Puntland’s privateers. We hope that our selections will give you a well-rounded view from different angles.

Posted by: b real | Apr 14 2009 4:31 utc | 29

secrecy news: SNIPER TRAINING MANUAL REMAINS OFFLINE

“When… dealing with multiple targets, such as two hostage-takers, [snipers] must coordinate to fire simultaneously,” according to a U.S. Army sniper training manual. “Taking [the targets] out one at a time may allow the second suspect time to harm the hostages.”
This was the scenario facing Navy SEALs on the Indian Ocean on April 12. They fired simultaneously at three Somali pirates, killing them and rescuing an American hostage.
“Shooting simultaneously by command fire with another sniper is a very important skill to develop and requires much practice,” the Army manual advises.
A copy of the U.S. Army Special Forces Sniper Training and Employment manual (FM 3-05.222) was obtained by Secrecy News. Although the document is unclassified, it is subject to restricted distribution in order “to protect technical or operational information.”
For once, such restrictions appear to make sense and the 474-page manual will not be posted on the Federation of American Scientists website. But as always, views on the question of disclosure differ. A 2003 discussion on the “Shooter’s Forum” website presented contrasting opinions on the desirability of publishing this Manual.
http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?t=5738

did the AP story in #27 above just make up their sentence

Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, was not hurt in several minutes of gunfire

?

Posted by: b real | Apr 14 2009 14:53 utc | 31

here’s the democracy now link Analysis: Somalia Piracy Began in Response to Illegal Fishing and Toxic Dumping by Western Ships off Somali Coast

Posted by: annie | Apr 14 2009 17:51 utc | 33

latest analysis from michael weinstein now up at garowe online – Situation Brief #3

In a brutal and accurate assessment of the political dynamics of southern and central Somalia delivered in an interview with Voice of America’s Petter Clottey on April 8, local analyst Abdullahi Ali described a balance of power in which the country’s weakening Transitional Federal Government (T.F.G.) confronts a confident armed opposition that believes that it has the advantage and is, therefore, unwilling to bargain for a power-sharing agreement.
According to Ali, whose trenchant analysis deserves wide dissemination, the T.F.G. is weak, “doesn’t have any constituency,” and has neither the intellectual sophistication nor military force “to challenge the opposition as it is now.” As a result, notes Ali, the armed opposition sees no reason to reconcile, a move that would threaten its predominance in Somalia’s southern and south-central regions. In addition, were there to be power sharing, it would have to be done within the framework of the T.F.G., which was expanded recently to include the conciliatory faction of the Islamist-dominated Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (A.R.S.), and is now an amalgam of the old warlord-dominated T.F.G., the conciliatory A.R.S., and diaspora technocrats and intellectuals imposed by the Western powers and international organizations that finance the T.F.G. What power is left to be shared when the new T.F.G.’s parliament already has 550 members, its cabinet has already had to accommodate the elements of its coalition, and its lack of political momentum is obvious?
Beset by the “technical” weakness, as Ali calls it, of its internal divisions, and its determined armed opposition, and lacking in broad popular support cutting across sub-clans in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu (confirmed by a source on the ground), the T.F.G. does not have the capability to take initiative as a coherent power center.
…
The T.F.G.’s behavior has been consistently determined by pressure on it to meet the I.C.C.’s [Islamic Clerics Council] demands and counter-pressure from the donor powers to resist them. At present, attacks by the armed opposition on AMISOM and uncoordinated T.F.G. forces continue; the T.F.G., having committed to implementing Shari’a, has not moved on the issue; and Sh. Sharif has decided to let AMISOM remain in Mogadishu, pending the establishment of an effective “national security force,” which could not conceivably be in place by the I.C.C.’s deadline for AMISOM withdrawal. Aware of the pressures that are sapping the T.F.G., the armed opposition, including elements of it that are willing to observe a cease fire within the timetable set by the I.C.C., have adopted the I.C.C.’s demands for Shari’a and AMISOM withdrawal as their program.
With its foreign and domestic backers at cross-purposes and their support provisional, yet essential, the T.F.G. tends toward a state of paralysis and dearth of resources that prevent it from winning popular support that would come from progress in providing security and undertaking reconstruction projects.
…
None of the events of the first half of April bode well for the T.F.G. Were even the pro-cease fire faction of H.I. [Hizbul Islam] to be brought into power sharing, it would carry with it demands for the implementation of Shari’a and withdrawal of AMISOM, which would strengthen the I.C.C.’s hand and provoke greater counter-pressure from the donor powers. In addition, it is unclear that the uneasy coalition that comprises the T.F.G. would accept a diminution of power that would follow from an unlikely deal. In particular, local analyst Ali believes that Sh. Aweys would demand a major role that would not be acceptable to Sh. Sharif.
As the T.F.G. falters, the donor powers remain silent for the time being. They are committed to helping to finance a national security force, yet they are not providing, as yet, sufficient support to train it in a timely fashion. The day of reckoning for the T.F.G. continues to draw closer.

shabelle media:

..Hawiye traditional elders have called for the Somali government to reverse the decision of the Somali government for preparing fighting that starts in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
Mohamed Hassan Haad, the chairman of Hawiye traditional elders suggested the government to reverse its statement against what they called the local enemy [by] which they mean warring groups in the Mogadishu, calling them to apologize the Somalia people in the capital.
It was yesterday when Sheik Bashir Ahmed Salad, a chairman of Somali clerics, expressed concern about the statement of the Somali government saying that it could disrupt the peace process continuing between the Somalis.
All the statements of the Somali traditional elders and clerics come as the security minister of the Somali government Col. Omar Hashi Aden called for the government soldiers in the past days to be ready for fighting starts in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

shabelle media:

Ahmed Bile, a Somali parliamentarian told Shabelle Media that the pirates are Somali nationals and have a right to be sentenced in a legal way.
…
“Perhaps, many people think that our people are like hens and the other people are sacred,” he added.
The statement of the lawmaker comes as the Somali government hailed the operation by American Navy.
Separately, the body of one government soldier was found and another seriously wounded was also found in Jazeera beach outside Mogadishu.
The soldiers were keeping guard a cargo ship. One of the workers of the seaport told Shabelle media that the soldiers were believed to have been killed the crew of the ship.
It is not known why the soldiers have been killed.

Posted by: b real | Apr 14 2009 18:34 utc | 35

ap:

In an unusual nighttime raid, pirates seized the Greek-managed bulk carrier MV Irene E.M. before dawn Tuesday. Hours later, they commandeered the Lebanese-owned cargo ship MV Sea Horse.
On Sunday or Monday, they took two Egyptian fishing trawlers. Maritime officials said the Irene carried 21 to 23 Filipino crew and the fishing boats 36 fishermen, all believed to be Egyptian. A carrier the size of the Sea Horse would need at least a dozen crew, although the exact number was not immediately available.
NATO spokeswoman Shona Lowe said pirates in three or four speedboats captured the Sea Horse off Somalia’s eastern coast.
The Yemeni Embassy in Washington said its coast guard exchanged gunfire Monday with 14 Somali pirates who had hijacked a 23-foot Yemeni fishing vessel. Its forces freed 13 Yemeni hostages and detained two pirates, while the rest fled on a boat, the embassy said.
The Egyptian boats were taken in the gulf off Somalia’s northern coast. Said Mursi, Egypt’s ambassador to Somalia who is based in Kenya, said the trawlers probably did not have licenses to fish Somali waters. “From my experience, I think that they were illegally fishing,” he told The Associated Press.
Commercial fishing boats have been illegally harvesting Somalia’s rich and varied sea life, including sought-after yellowfin tuna, since the country collapsed into lawlessness in the 1990s. The United Nations estimates the illegal fishing costs the Horn of Africa nation $300 million annually.

letter to wapo editors from a senior HRW researcher

Before the Obama administration considers new military strikes on al-Shabab fighters in Somalia, it should weigh the political costs of such an action.
Under President George W. Bush, the U.S. government carried out at least four airstrikes in Somalia in 2007 and 2008. One killed a prominent al-Shabab commander. But the strikes, along with U.S. support for a heavy-handed Ethiopian counterinsurgency effort, fomented unprecedented levels of anti-American sentiment among ordinary Somalis and greatly boosted the prestige of al-Shabab. They also fueled suspicion and violence against international humanitarian agencies, badly hampering efforts to respond to looming famine. And most of the casualties of U.S. attacks have been civilians.
There is no easy way forward in Somalia. But right now Washington’s biggest advantage is the widespread optimism among Somalis that the Obama administration will break with the deeply unpopular policies of its predecessor and engage with the country in a way that shows basic respect for the Somali people. The government should capitalize on that by adopting policies that directly address the profound humanitarian and human rights crisis in Somalia.
CHRIS ALBIN-LACKEY
Senior Researcher, Africa Division
Human Rights Watch

john prendergast at a CSIS panel on “Options for U.S. and International Engagement” in somalia

Helping to build the house, and then using the back door, will be much more effective than barging in to the front door of a house that has yet to be built. [applause]

Posted by: b real | Apr 15 2009 14:49 utc | 37

i meant in your last post, 35 is blockquoted but no bold..oh wait a minute, this is very strange, i just refreshed and now the last post the blkquote seems to be working..i don’t know what to say this is very strange. lol. now i see my post is not blockquoted when i open a new page?? odd.

Posted by: annie | Apr 15 2009 14:59 utc | 39

try this again
propaganda outfit time magazine runs a story that throws around a lot of numbers today, Somali Pirates Are Getting Rich: A Look At The Profit Margins
it that attempts to inform its readers of fantastic sums the hijackers could potentially earn this year
one can judge the amount of credibility to give the research put into the article by considering the following sentence:

The pirates almost certainly pay protection to the head of the Puntland, Mohamud Muse Hirsi.

muse hasn’t been the president of puntland since losing the election in early january

Posted by: b real | Apr 15 2009 15:13 utc | 41

from an april 10th ecoterra int’l smcm update

Insurers and lawyers scoop big time from piracy. Kidnap insurance costs soar tenfold in Gulf of Aden on escalating piracy. Ship owners navigating the Gulf of Aden are seeing insurance premiums for kidnap and ransom increase tenfold as piracy escalates, said Chicago-based global insurance broker Aon Risk Services on Thursday, one day after Somali pirates hijacked a U.S. cargo ship. This means ship owners could be paying 30,000 U.S. dollars premium for 3 million dollars of cover for one journey through this piracy hotspot. However, more are opting for cover to protect their employees as well as avoiding lengthy detours that threaten supply chains and increase petrol costs, reports Xinhua. Specialist piracy policies for kidnap and ransom insurance can include cover for consultant and negotiator costs, ransom demands and medical care. These can be bought for individual transits or on an annual basis to bring down the cost.
“The cost of insurance is simply rising in correlation with the risk of kidnap in piracy hotspots. Despite the presence of naval ships, the spate of piracy attacks over the last six months does not seem to be abating with increased civil unrest and pirates’ easy access to rocket launchers and AK47s. As such we’ve seen enquiries for cover escalate as ship owners seek to protect their employees and businesses”, said Ashley Leszczuk, an analyst from Aon’s crisis management team. Aon indicated that some 70 percent of ship owners are opting for localized policies for the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Guinea and the Straits of Malacca while a third of the policies placed by Aon cover all locations worldwide. While a US congress study states with just over 30 million US $ almost correctly the real ransom paid to Somali pirates in 2009, many sources quote Kenya’s Foreign Minister falsely who had stated that 150 million US$ had been paid. What the minister tried to state was the total amount, which was paid in these piracy cases. So the question is, who got the 120 million US$ the pirates didn’t get? Case-affected insurers shoveled some from their right to their left pocket, but the direct bagging is done by lawyers and their affiliates in the risk-management industry. Some reports are stating that even fraudulent ship owners and managers, crooked diplomats and colluding ship-captains are in on the take.
And this not just concerning old vessels, which were on their way to the scrap yard anyway and are used for this last insurance-fraud and voyage into the easy money – no – especially concerning latest near-billion-dollar vessels the piracy-derivatives merry-go-around seems to be the latest game of the rich boys from the shipping club and their colluding buddy-buddy networks. The biggest winner overall is certainly the insurance industry and the biggest looser (isn’t it always?) the taxpayer. Since now in addition the taxpayer has to foot the bill for naval war-games under the pre-text of ill-conceived anti-piracy missions, the paying citizens of this world should finally start to ask themselves for how long this nonsense must be financed from their crumbling incomes. The only lasting and therefore only rightful solution is to help to end this increasing craziness by a quantum leap and allowing outside-of-the-box thinking to be implemented.

Posted by: b real | Apr 15 2009 15:21 utc | 43

jarch watch
New York investment firm mulling more land leases in S. Sudan
April 15, 2009 (WASHINGTON) – Jarch Management Group, Ltd., a US investment firm, disclosed that it is considering additional opportunities to lease large tracts of farmland in Southern Sudan.
This report follows the announcement in January of a massive lease agreement that prompted some tension within governing circles in Southern Sudan.
…
In a statement emailed to Sudan Tribune today the company disclosed that it aims to lease another 400,000 hectares of land by the end of the year.
“Since its January 2009 announcement that it had leased about 400,000 hectares, the Company has had a multitude of offers to buy and lease farmland from around the world,” said a statement from the management of the company.
“However, the Company is focused on frontier African countries and continues to look for opportunities in farmland and other natural resources in these countries. As such, the Company hopes to conclude more deals for more leased farmland. The Company is hopeful that it can lease at least another 400,000 hectares of land by the end of the year.”
…
While U.S. companies are banned from doing business in Sudan, agriculture in Southern Sudan is exempted from sanctions provided that the national government does not have any stake in the business and provided that no imports or exports pass through non-exempt areas.

Posted by: b real | Apr 16 2009 3:54 utc | 45

excerpts from ecoterra int’l‘s april 14th smcm update
on faulty reporting

MV SEAHORSE: Reportedly Lebanese-owned cargo ship attacked and captured Tuesday by pirates in three or four speedboats. It was reported that the vessel flies the flag of Togo, but there is none of the many registered “Seahorses” flying that flag. Many media showed the picture of a stone carrier called MV Seahorse, but the captain of that vessel confirmed to us that he was sailing peacefully in the Mediterranean sea.
NATO’s MARITIME CENTRE seems not to realize that their flimsy reporting in such cases sends thousand around the world into unwarranted shock because they believe their loved-ones are on the vessel reported as hi-jacked, if they only given a name and no details of the vessel through the media.

on the assassinations last w/e

it’s creepy to see so many Americans are exulting over the fact that the United States Navy-Seals managed to shoot three teenagers at 20 m distance and like sitting ducks. If it is true that after nightfall the lifeboat, in which they were holding the captain hostage, had been pulled by a thin steel-cable – secretly fixed by a diver at the time when the mock attack was launched or at any other time – towards the lights-off warship, where the snipers with their night-vision scopes on precision guns were waiting and the youngsters just had popped their heads up wondering what produced the changing sound of waves (being resounded by the navy vessel), which they suddenly could hear – then the US-American Navy did stage-manage the situation and intentionally created the condition (imminent danger for the life of the hostage) for the on-scene Navy commander (Lieutenant Commander David Fowler) aboard the USS Bainbridge to give the order to fire because the hostage’s life was suddenly in danger. If they had not towed them in, the Somali elders would still have had a chance to safe all lives the next day – but that many feel was not what was wanted.

excerpts from their status rpt on abducted vessels:

MV HANSA STAVANGER – Negotiations reportedly held by three Somalis with British passports in Harardheere and Mogadishu failed. Shortly thereafter at around 15h00 local time a naval vessel was observed showing off its strength and staging mock attacks in front of the container carrier. This caused that the pirates took 20 of the 24 crew from the ship and hold them now as hostages on land. Only 4 essential crew remaining on the vessel. Armed militia went to the vessel to reinforce the strength of the captors, because an attack is expected tonight.
FV AL-GHAITH – captured on 4th April with seven Yemeni crew released after two Egyptian fishing vessels were captured with this vessel. On its way back to Yemen.
FV WIN FAR 161 – The Taiwanese fishing vessel, which had been involved in the attack on MV ALABAMA is said to be moored now 7 nm from Garacad (together with the Catamaran S/Y SERENITY). The crew of 30 (17 Filipinos, six Indonesians, five Chinese and two Taiwanese) is still together and on board.
FV GREKO 2 and FV GREKO 4 – released from Bossasso, where they had been detained for illegal fishing against a payment deal between Puntland President Farole and GRECO Ltd.
FV SHUGAA ALMADHI – Egyptian FV vessel now said to have been arrested for illegal fishing on 9th April and detained at Ga’an (east of Lasqoray) together with a second Greek fishing vessel, which is likewise said to be detained for illegal fishing. Final number of total crew (34 or 35) for both vessels could not yet be established clearly.
T/B BUCANEER with 2 Barges – Held in Ga’an (28 miles from Lasqoray) All 16 crew (10 Italians, 1 Croatian, 5 Romanians) are off the vessel and were taken to the nearby mountains because an Italian warship was trailing the tug with its barges. The Italian frigate Maestrale, which is in the area as part of the European Union´s Atalanta anti-piracy mission, followed the vessel, confirmed the Italian Defence ministry. Or was that an escort for illicit material? The Italian-flagged and UAE operated tugboat owned by Micoperi Marine Contractors from Italy is now said to have been detained for attempted dumping of toxic waste.
International organizations and the UN have been invited to inspect the content of the two barges. The validity of the claim could not yet be established since the company didn’t respond yet on questions to declare the content. The vessel was apparently captured just 40 miles off the Somali coast, which – if correct – would be far outside the shipping corridor.

is there a running tally of fishing vessels & chemical tankers that have been hijacked/attempted over the years? that would be very enlightening in the face of the simple-minded stories playing out in the media & much of the blog spectrum
and this was a nice story

Thousands of dolphins blocked the suspected Somali pirate ships when they were trying to attack Chinese merchant ships passing the Gulf of Aden, the China Radio International reported on Monday. The Chinese merchant ships escorted by a China’s fleet sailed on the Gulf of Aden when they met some suspected pirate ships. Thousands of dolphins suddenly leaped out of water between pirates and merchants when the pirate ships headed for the China’s. The suspected pirates ships stopped and then turned away. The pirates could only lament their littleness before the vast number of dolphins. photo/text

– – –
ap: US to target pirate assets

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday the Obama administration will take the unusual step of trying to seize pirate financial assets and property, as it works with shippers to thwart hijackers off the coast of Somalia.
The measures outlined by Clinton, part of a new U.S. diplomatic initiative to thwart sea piracy, are largely stopgap and symbolic moves while officials weigh more comprehensive diplomatic and military action.
The exploratory effort to track and freeze pirate assets will be difficult because of the highly localized and informal nature of their economy, which does not often use regulated portions of the international financial system, current and former officials said.
…
“You’ve got to put out the fire before you can rebuild the house,” she told reporters at the State Department. “And, right now, we have a fire raging.”
Clinton talked of “going after” pirate bases on the ground in Somalia, a “hot pursuit” policy that was authorized by the U.N. in December but has not yet been undertaken by the U.S. because of liability concerns among military officials. Despite those comments, Clinton did not specifically call for using military force against the pirates.
“These pirates are criminals, they are armed gangs on the sea. And those plotting attacks must be stopped,” she said. “We may be dealing with a 17th-century crime, but we need to bring 21st-century solutions to bear.”
Clinton acknowledged difficulties ahead in Treasury efforts to locate pirate assets. But she wants the U.S. and others to “explore ways to track and freeze” pirate ransom money and other funds used in purchases of new boats, weapons and communications equipment.
…
But a former Bush administration official who worked on piracy and on steps to stop the financing of terrorist groups at the National Security Council and Treasury said such action would be “extremely difficult” to take.
“These are local networks that aren’t necessarily putting their cash into bank accounts or attempting to transfer it out of the area,” said Juan C. Zarate. “Their assets rarely touch either the formal or informal global financial system.”
Unlike international terrorist networks who operate in and raise money from people in regulated economies, the pirates do not. “At this stage, I think this is a noble goal but probably not very realistic,” he said.

Posted by: b real | Apr 16 2009 5:35 utc | 47

good article at times online from a reporter working in conjunction w/ garowe online
‘I’m not a pirate, I’m the saviour of the sea’
Who are the pirate bands menacing commercial and tourist shipping off Somalia? Our writer meets one of the leaders
an excerpt:

His story is typical of many who have turned to piracy since the onset of the civil war. Fourteen years ago, he was still working as a lobster diver in Eyl – “one of the best”, he says. Since then, according to Boyah, these reefs off Eyl have been devastated by foreign fishing fleets – mostly Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean – using steel-pronged dragnets. He says that there are no longer lobsters to be found locally, a claim partially corroborated by a 2005 UN Development Project report into the depletion of local stocks.
From 1995 to 1997, Boyah and others captured three foreign fishing vessels, keeping the catch and ransoming the crew. He boasts that he received an $800,000 bounty for one ship. When the foreign fishing fleets entered into protection contracts with local warlords, making armed guards and anti-aircraft guns fixtures on ships, Boyah and his men went after commercial shipping vessels instead.
Boyah says that there are about 500 pirates operating in the area, over whom he serves as “chairman”. Eyl’s pirate groups function as a loose confederation, and Boyah is a key organiser, recruiter, financier and mission commander, rather than a traditional crime boss, but he claims that all applicants for the position of Pirate (Eyl Division) must come to him. Boyah’s sole criteria for a recruit are that he has to own a gun, and that he must “[be] a hero, and accept death” – qualities that grace the CVs of many local youth.
Turnover in Boyah’s core group is low; when I ask if his men ever use their new-found wealth to leave Somalia, he laughs: “The only way they leave is when they die.” He adds that a member of his band departed last night, dying in his sleep of undisclosed reasons.
When it comes to targets, Boyah’s standards are not very exacting. He says that his men go after any ship that wanders into their sights. He separates his prey into “commercial” and “tourist” ships. The commercial ships, identifiable by the cranes on their decks, are slower and easier to capture. Boyah has gone after too many of these to remember. He claims to employ different tactics for different ships, but the basic strategy is that several skiffs will approach from all sides, swarming like a waterborne wolfpack. If brandishing their weapons fails to frighten the ship’s crew into stopping, they fire into the air. If that doesn’t do it, and if the target ship is incapable of outperforming the 85 to 150 horsepower engines on their skiffs, they pull alongside their target, toss hooked rope ladders on to the decks and board the ship. Resistance is rare.
Boyah guesses that 20 to 30 per cent of attempted hijackings succeed. Speedy prey, technical problems, and foreign naval or domestic coastguard intervention account for the high rate of failure.
Captured ships are steered to Eyl, where guards and interpreters are brought to look after the hostages during the ransom negotiation. Once secured, the money – often routed through banks in London and Dubai and parachuted directly on to the deck of the ship – is split: half goes to the hijackers, a third to the investors who fronted cash for the ships and weapons, and 20 per cent to everyone else, from the guards to the translators (occasionally high school students on a summer break). Some money is also given as charity to the local poor; such largesse, Boyah tells me, has turned his merry band into Robin Hood figures.
When I ask where his men have obtained their training, he pithily responds that it comes “from famine”. This isn’t the whole truth. Beginning in 1999, the government of Puntland launched a series of ill-fated attempts to establish an (official) regional Coastguard, efforts that each time ended with the dissolution of the contracting company and the dismissal of its employees. The new generation of Somali pirates – better trained, more efficiently organised and possessing superior equipment – can be traced in part to these failed experiments. When pressed, Boyah confirms that some of his men are former coastguard recruits, and he reveals another detail of the interwoven dynamic between pirates, coastguards and fishermen. He claims that the Puntland Coastguard of the late 1990s and early 2000s worked as a private militia for the protection of commercial trawlers in possession of official “fishing licences”, alienating local fishermen. Sometimes the situation escalated into confrontation and Boyah recounts that in 2001 his men seized several fishing vessels “licensed” by President Abdullahi Yusuf and protected by his coastguard force. Almost a decade before the rise in pirate hijackings hit the Gulf of Aden, the conditions for the coming storm were already recognisable.
Boyah’s moral compass, like his body, seems to be split between sea and shore. “We’re not murderers,” he says, “we’ve never killed anyone.” He warns me, half-jokingly, not to run into him in a boat, but assures me that he is quite harmless on land. He insists that he is not a criminal but that he knows what he is doing is wrong.
Boyah hasn’t been on a mission for more than two months, for which he has a two-pronged explanation: “I got sick and became rich.” He has called for an end to hijackings albeit from a position of luxury that most do not enjoy. I ask him whether his ceasefire was motivated by the recent deployment to the region of a Nato task force. “No,” he says, “it has nothing to do with that. It’s a moral issue. We realised that we didn’t have public support.” That support, according to Boyah, took a plunge last summer when a delegation of clan and religious leaders visited Eyl and declared that dealing with pirates is haram – religiously forbidden. Nato deliberations regarding possible missile strikes on Eyl, though, do not worry Boyah: “Only civilians live there, it would be illegal for them to attack. If they do…that’s OK. We believe in God. Force alone cannot stop us,” he says vehemently, “we don’t care about death.”
…
When asked about his future plans, Boyah is evasive. “That is up to the international community,” he says, “they need to solve the problem of illegal fishing, the root of our troubles. We are waiting for action.”

google map of garowe

Posted by: b real | Apr 16 2009 15:15 utc | 49

[b – is it possible for you to clear the duplicate unformatted comments? thx. typepad sux]
from a wsj article – On the Maersk: ‘I Hope if I Die, I Die a Brave Person’

..interviews with Cmdr. Catellano, U.S. Navy and other government officials and Maersk Alabama crew members provide the fullest account so far of the attack and rescue..
…
During the boarding, their skiff overturned.

that’s different than previous rpts that the hijackers had sank their own skiff or skiffs

On the bridge, Mr. Reza volunteered to take one of the pirates down to the engine room. He and other sailors overpowered the pirate, stabbing him with what crew members described as an ice pick. The captured pirate, it appeared, was the band’s leader.
The three pirates were confronted by the crew holding their leader. Capt. Phillips offered himself as a hostage to safeguard the crew. The pirates demanded a boat, fuel and food. The two sides agreed to exchange hostages.
Once the pirates settled in to a bright orange, enclosed lifeboat, the crew released their hostage. But the pirates refused to let Capt. Phillips free and maneuvered the lifeboat free of the Maersk Alabama with the captain aboard.

so there were negotiations to safely abort the hijacking & leave the boat. they probably wanted to keep phillips, the captain, in order to secure their own safety, or perhaps to steer & navigate the lifeboat – they were miles from land, in an unknown vessel. plus, they were teenage kids & probably inexperienced at sea, among other things

The pirates demanded safe passage to Somalia. They said they would take Capt. Phillips with them and release him when they landed.
“We will either all die out here, or we make it to Somalia,” one of the pirates said over the radio, Cmdr. Castellano said.

no mention in this account of the boat having run out of fuel early on, as the press was reporting – which would be strange for a lifeboat unless it was deliberately sabotaged by the maersk’s crew before turning it over
instead,

Friday afternoon, the Halyburton, a guided-missile frigate with a helicopter aboard, arrived nearby with special-operations forces, including Navy SEALs, who had parachuted into the water to join up with the vessel.
Discussions with the pirates weren’t going well. The pirates’ emotions were alternating high and low, Cmdr. Castellano said, likely partly because of lack of sleep. On Saturday, the pirates got their lifeboat — capable of speeds of as much as six knots — under way, heading west toward the Somali coast. The Bainbridge, Halyburton and its helicopter spent the day cutting off the lifeboat to keep it from getting any nearer to land. That night, the pirates turned their boat around and headed away from shore.

no reason given why, nor any mention in this accounting of the multiple sessions of negotiations w/ the local elders & parents of the boys. what did the hijackers know of the negotiations? did they have reason to believe they were able to work out a deal w/ the officials on the u.s. ship?

Sunday morning, the pirates said Capt. Phillips hadn’t eaten anything in 24 hours. He was dehydrated, they said. Cmdr. Castellano ordered food, water and fresh clothes sent to them in two small, inflatable-hull boats. One of the pirates, the apparent leader whose hand had been gashed, asked to be taken to the Bainbridge for medical treatment and to talk face-to-face.
The three remaining pirates later asked to be towed, apparently out of fuel. Bainbridge hooked up a line. After sunset, winds and seas picked up, jostling the lifeboat uncomfortably. The pirates’ mood see-sawed, said Cmdr. Castellano. One minute they were terse and vindictive on the radio, the next smiling and laughing.
At one point, the pirates fired a tracer round toward one of Bainbridge’s small boats. Cmdr. Castellano watched from the bridge as the pirates appeared to grow more threatening. Snipers on the ship’s fantail, were watching. Sometime after 7 p.m. local time, a pirate was seen pointing his rifle at Capt. Phillips’s back.
An order was given and snipers fired three shots. A team of SEALs on a small boat whizzed to the lifeboat, confirmed three pirates killed, and bundled Capt. Phillips off of the boat.

the last part of the story is pretty weak. no mention of what that one of the “Bainbridge’s small boats” was doing to draw a tracer round. and the so-called imminent threat was a pretext to execute an already-in-place plan.

Posted by: b real | Apr 16 2009 16:24 utc | 51

this one made me LOL
Somalia’s prime minister says government knows pirate leaders

NAIROBI, Kenya – Somalia’s prime minister says his government has identified many pirate leaders and would be willing to share that information with other countries, including the United States, to get the resources needed to go after them.
Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke, speaking Thursday to The Associated Press in an exclusive interview, said the pirates have become so wealthy and powerful that they threaten his government.
“We have information on who is behind this, who is involved,” Sharmarke said in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. “There is a lot of money flowing in … we are following very closely how money is distributed here.”
…
Sharmarke said the Somali government was presenting a plan to envoys from the European Union, the United States and a regional authority to fight pirates by building up military forces and establishing intelligence-gathering posts along its coastline.
“The best way to actually deal with this is to prevent (the pirates) from going into the waters,” Sharmarke said. “We are planning to establish at least ten or more observation posts on the coastline.”
Still, it was not clear how this plan could cover the 3,100-kilometre Somali coastline, since his government controls only a few square blocks of the capital, Mogadishu, with the aid of African peacekeepers. [the truth hurts, don’t it]

sharmarke, though educated in the u.s., holding both canadian & somali citizenship, and selected by the western powers to be the “unity govt’s” PM, is from the darod clan, which dominate puntland & hijacking activities. of course he knows who “involved”.
— — —
information dissemination: Email From Maersk Alabama: The Maersk Alabama Facts
This email was written by one of the engineers and is firsthand account of events on the Maersk Alabama. The email was sent from the Maersk Alabama to Maersk Arkansas, another USAID ship making the same run.
some excerpts from the alleged email

I wanted to let you know some of the lessons we learned so you guys can better prepare yourselves for something similar. The only guys actually captured by the pirates were on the bridge: Capt, 3/M, and 2 AB’s.
I don’t really know why they stayed on the bridge until the pirates got up there. Then they had keys to everything and were able to unlock everyone’s rooms. The pirates got up to the bridge very quickly once they were onboard.
…
The pirates’ boat capsized, though I’m not sure exactly when or what caused it.
…
One of the pirates then went with an AB down to the E/R [engine room] to look for people. Mike was able to jump him in the dark and we took him prisoner in the steering gear. No one else came down into the E/R. As the day went on the pirates became desperate to get out of there. There boat was sunk, and they couldn’t get our ship moving. The Captain talked them into taking the MOB [man overboard] boat. The three remaining pirates went down in the MOB boat with Phillips. We were then able to negotiate with them over the radio. We dropped some food, water and diesel to them. We started getting the plant back on line. Unfortunately, the MOB boat wouldn’t start. A couple of guys got in the lifeboat and dropped it. They motored over and traded the lifeboat for the MOB boat. We were supposed to exchange their guy for the Captain, but they ended up keeping him. They motored off in the lifeboat.
They had no way of getting back aboard, so we followed them. The Navy showed up a few hours later. We stayed close by for some time, but then the Navy asked us to head out. I heard that several other pirate vessels were heading our way and the Navy wanted us out of the way. That’s about it. I’ll give you all the details some other time.

Posted by: b real | Apr 17 2009 5:23 utc | 53

from a stars and stripes article on somalia

Responsibility for the piracy problem is split between units in the Gulf of Aden and units on land. The task force falls under U.S. Central Command, which oversees hot spots such as Iraq and Afghanistan, but not Africa. While U.S. Central Command is responsible for any maritime operations in that region, U.S. Africa Command would head up any that are land-based.
…
Piracy, spawned in the lawlessness of Somalia, has not changed the CJTF-HOA’s core mission, said spokesman Air Force Capt. Matthew Stines.
That mission focuses on civil-military operations, military-to-military training and improving conditions for foreign investment, Stines said in an e-mail.

two articles on the italian tug reportedly towing toxic waste that was detained by somalis earlier this week, via biyokulule online
il giornale.it: Italian Hostages, the Puzzle of Negotiations

Somali sources told Il Giornale that the “pirates” are militiamen whom the government of Puntland mobilizes when needed. They are motivated by the mirage (as published) of a ransom, but also by allegations of illegal fishing off Somalia and cases of European toxic waste having been dumped on their coast in the past. In fact, two high-sea Egyptian fishing boats were seized along with the tugboat.
“This morning (yesterday for readers), local elders and parliamentarians arrived at the scene to resolve the issue,” local MP Sa`id Farah Muhamud told Il Giornale. The negotiation is being led from Boosaaso, the “capital” of Puntland, by the interior minister, General Abdullahi Ahmad Jama. They call him Ilka Jir … His clan, the Warsangeli, holds sway over the area where the Italian sailors are held. “The goal is to transfer the two fishing boats and the Italian tugboat, along with their crews, to the control of the Puntland authorities. If they have infringed laws, they could be put on trial or fined. If this is not the case they will be released,” a Somali source told Il Giornale.
The tugboat was towing two barges “the contents of which must be checked,” they say from Puntland. Rumors have spread that they were carrying toxic refuse, but the ship owner in Ravenna firmly denies this. Two delegations have set off from Boosaaso for Gaan, where the Italian crew is. They include officials from the PIS, the Puntland Intelligence Service, together with a technician tasked with testing for any traces of toxic refuse.

dhahar online editorial: TOXIC DUMPING: The Ndrangheta Mafia on the Somali Coast

Traditional elders alongside with local forensics suspect the Italian owned ship which is believed to be carrying nuclear waste is linked with the `Ndrangheta. The `Ndrangheta mafia is an Italian criminal network that generates 3.5% of Italy`s GDP mainly from illegal drug trafficking, prostitution, and nuclear waste disposal.
…
Clan elders and a group of local investigators told reporters from Dhahar[-dot-]com that before these toxic wastes arrive at their final destination, the Ndrangheta and other Mobsters bid for contracts from major corporations. Then these mobsters sub-lease their loads to small ships from developing countries like Egypt leaving the mobsters un-traceable.
Local investigators believe that these mobsters dump the nuclear toxic waste using two methods: Either by dumping it into the sea in special metal containers designed to sink them to the bottom, or purposely sinking the ship carrying the waste, and reporting it as an accident.
These activities explain the poisoning of other regions of the Somali coastline as the Tsunami disaster of late December 2004 revealed. The tidal-waves caused leaks in the containers with chemical and radioactive compounds.
…
There is a general consensus among the Warsangali clan elders that the Ndrangheta mafia with a track record of dumping toxic waste is buying local politicians like Abdullahi Mohamed Du`ale, head of Somaliland`s foreign ministry, as they formerly bought Ali Mahdi, the Somali president after the collapse of the civil war.
Nevertheless, the clan Diaspora is outraged at the destruction of their coastline and the future of their kinsmen.

also,
video segment at business news network:
How Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia Became a Large-Scale Criminal Enterprise

Environmental, social and economic conditions in Somalia have forced some residents into piracy as a matter of survival. BNN talks to Ahmed Hussen, president, Canadian Somali Congress.

Posted by: b real | Apr 18 2009 4:26 utc | 55

Not sure if its true as it comes from the Telegraph: US threatens Eritrea over support for al-Qaeda-linked terrorists

Washington quietly warned Eritrea, a former Italian colony which was occupied by Britain during the Second World War, it could suffer the same fate as Taliban-controlled Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks, if the plot was carried out.
“Eritrea has chosen the wrong path,” said a source. “There are consequences for working with al-Shabaab when President Obama cannot afford to look weak on terrorism by not retaliating if there is an attack on the homeland.”

Posted by: b | Apr 18 2009 6:38 utc | 57

Please post further comments to the next Africa Comment thread here.
Thanks.

Posted by: b | Apr 18 2009 18:43 utc | 59