Group Profile
Editor’s note: This report is the third installment in a three-part series assessing the current security situation in Somalia. This assessment will focus primarily on al-Qaeda’s presence in the country, the state of the insurgency and Somalia’s ongoing piracy industry.
Highlights
– Foreign powers contribute warships to the Gulf of Aden after the hijacking of the MV Faina in September
– France, Britain and Somalia have taken more aggressive action in arresting and eliminating suspected Somali pirates
– Despite intensified efforts to defeat the piracy, attacks and hijackings have skyrocketed
Somali pirates launched an unprecedented number of hijackings and attempted attacks in 2008. The attacks demonstrate a growing determination, confidence in the industry, and view that the rewards outweigh the risks involved with piracy. All this comes despite intensified international efforts to combat piracy. These efforts have followed September 25, 2008 hijacking of the MV Faina, a Ukrainian arms ship (Maritime Incident). The prospect of the ships armaments being funneled to al-Qaeda linked insurgents presented the international community with a security nightmare (Previous Report).
In addition to six United States warships currently monitoring the Faina, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) force has been sent to the region in addition to a European Union (EU) task force that is set to be operational by the end of the year. The intensified counter-piracy presence led to the successful thwarting of a handful of recent attacks, but the incidents were trumped by an almost equal amount of successful hijackings. Despite a number of successfully thwarted attacks, rescue operations and arrests, the pirates remain largely undeterred and continue to carry out daring hijackings.
• November 15, 2008: A Saudi-owned oil supertanker was hijacked in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Kenya. The US-bound ship is 330m long and is the largest vessel so far to be hijacked in the region (Maritime Incident).
As Somali pirates continue with more daring attacks, it is likely that an increased counter-piracy effort against their logistical bases in Somalia may deter them from carrying out attacks. Until more aggressive methods are employed, however, pirates will continue to launch attacks off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden in the near to mid-term.
The Players
The surge in piracy coverage has led many analysts to ask who Somali pirates are and how the industry is organized. Following the government’s collapse in 1991, the Somalia’s shores became popular for illegal fishing by international fishers causing many Somali fisherman and coastal villagers to form makeshift coastguard units, which patrolled and taxed their local waters. The units gradually evolved into a criminal enterprise after learning discovering that each could reap millions of dollars in ransom payments from hijacking commercial vessels.
Earning US$20-30 million in ransom payments last year, the industry has attracted more than 1000 Somalis to join its ranks. Young, uneducated men (often ex-clan militia) make up the brunt of the industry’s actual hijackers. While low-paid, they often fare much better than the average Somali citizen. Groups also employ accountants, negotiators, spokesmen and other administrators in their main bases located in the coastal villages of Eyl in northern Puntland and Hobyo in central Somalia. The largest beneficiaries are believed to be local warlords and businessmen residing abroad in Kenya, Europe and the United Arab Emirates, who provide funding for the industry and receive the majority of its profits.
Fighting Back
In response to the hijacking of the Faina and continuing attacks, foreign warships and Somali forces have increased their operations against the pirates.
• November 11, 2008: Russian and British warships thwarted a pirate attack against a Danish vessel. Afterwards British speedboats were sent to apprehend a suspected pirate sailboat prompting a shootout in which two suspects were killed (Maritime Incident).
• November 10, 2008: Indian warships prevented two attacks including one against a Saudi-Arabian cargo ship and another against an Indian merchant vessel (Maritime Incident).
• October 21, 2008: Local militiamen launched a rescue operation against an Indian sailboat pirates seized off the coast of Puntland, arresting four pirates (Maritime Incident).
Recently Russia, India and South Korea have sent vessels to the Gulf of Aden to protect their shipping interests. However, their successes in thwarting pirate attacks and the recent killing of two suspected pirates by Britain’s navy have not deterred them from carrying out attacks. In addition, despite Somali forces’ occasional operations against pirates on the run and hijacked vessels close to shore, little has been done to combat the piracy in its two main hubs. Regional officials complain they lack of resources and personnel to combat the heavily armed pirates. As Somalia continues to be beset by economic stagnation and internal instability, we do not foresee any significant measures to be taken against the coastal village of pirate strongholds Eyl or Hobyo.
Source of Power
Piracy’s strength is linked to the recent successes and the support the industry has among the local population, particularly in northern Somalia. Being a “pirate” has become an attractive career choice because of the lack of more profitable job opportunities in Somalia. The enormous profits reaped by pirates have allowed wealthy administrators to attract recruits willing to carry out hijackings despite the risks of arrest and death. The pirates are also largely seen as heroes among their local supporters. The money they have brought in to their respective communities has generated hopes of improved conditions. Much of the wealth has also been spent for the pirates’ benefit including extravagant homes, sports cars and other luxury goods.
The size of the Gulf of Aden and warships’ inability to protect all commercial vessels that pass through it leaves foreign powers with a complex problem in confronting piracy. Rescue operations are considered very risky and the continual payment of ransoms will not likely subside as families and associates of hostages press hard for their release. Three successful hijackings and more than four attempted attacks last week demonstrate the pirates continued determination. This emanates from their perceived immunity in their bases in Eyl and Hobyo, where local police simply do not interfere with their affairs. Until Somali forces are equipped to successfully combat the pirates and the infrastructure which holds the industry together, we believe pirate attacks will continue in the near to mid-term.
