The Resilience of Somalian Enterprise
"We are pleased to see the huge reduction in piracy and yet equally concerned by the reports of increased criminality. We have much work to do to create legitimate livelihoods and deter Somalis from crime ... despite numerous inaccuracies, contradictions and factual gaps" in the 500-page UN tome accusing Somalia's government of wide-ranging corruption.
Abdirahman Omar Osman, Somali presidential spokesman
No government is particularly pleased to have the United Nations focus on their administration to reach the determination that they have been found wanting. Somalia, in particular, with the reach of government rather narrow in scope, retained within a relatively manageable area, nowhere near encompassing the width and breadth of the country. A country that seems to revel in opportunities, sans government oversight, to involve in illegal, violent, but financially fruitful activities.
Not that long ago Somali pirates represented a huge international shipping headache. Shipping insurance rates were set to explode. Enterprising Somalis, linked to equally enterprising foreign Arab bureaucrat-business types became skilled in the operation of small, swift craft equipped with serious artillery. A mother ship was capable of launching these little craft manned by swaggering young Somalis eager to cash in on a motherlode of blackmail treasure.
Surrounding and outgunning usually unarmed cargo ships they would take the crew prisoner, haul the ships off to guarded ports and make demands for hefty ransom, which made them all wonderfully wealthy in a country where poverty represents normalcy. When charged indignantly by the international community with endangering global shipping revenues, Somalis simply responded that illegal fishing by international crews had left them unable to find catches in their own waters.
A coalition of countries began to patrol the waters off Somalia to hinder the pirates' activities, and then the pirates found new resources for livelihood opportunities. Becoming ex-pirates they rented out their experience and expertise with small arms as guards on cargo ships. Illegal Iranian and Yemeni fishing vessels still fish the waters off Puntland, along with Chinese, Taiwanese, Korean and European-owned vessels; some of the same countries that cried foul over piratical activities.
Now, private security teams on vessels represent pools of demobilized Somali pirates, and the same businessmen from the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen and Iran who funded their emerging piratical activities are lucratively gathering in windfalls from this new enterprise, along with the Somalis. The hijacking trade was lucrative while it lasted; 149 ships in seven years yielding almost $400-million in ransom.
Isn't it marvellous how flexible and accommodating to needful alterations in plans enterprising minds can be?
Labels: Conflict, Controversy, Corruption, Somalia
posted by Pieface @ Friday, July 26, 2013
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