Wednesday, October 8, 2008

France And Russia Want To Play Rough


October 8, 2008: The piracy in the Gulf of Aden is basically an opportunity for the Somali pirates to extort money from the maritime insurance companies. Since most of the ships moving through the Gulf of Aden are going to, or coming from, the Suez canal, where it costs, on average, about a quarter of a million dollars to pass through, pirate ransoms are seen as a minor additional cost. Last year, the canal took in $4.6 billion, charging large merchant ships several hundred thousand dollars each to make the 12-16 hour transit. The canal fees are worth it, as this shortcut sharply cuts the cost of getting goods from Europe to Asia. About seven percent of all world trade goes through the Suez Canal. Pirates are demanding a million dollars or more per ship from the owners. This has pushed up insurance rates to over $10,000 per ship moving through the Gulf of Aden (going to or coming from the Suez canal). The ship owners just consider that a cost of doing business (like increased fuel costs or the annual bump to Suez Canal transit fees.) The ship owners are keen to avoid crew casualties for the crews, as this will hurt morale, and cause merchant ship crews to demand "danger bonuses" for steaming through the Gulf of Aden. Dead crewmen also means bad publicity, which insurance companies do not like (as they get so much of it already).
Some 70 ships have been attacked in the Gulf of Aden this year, with pirates using two or three large fishing ships as "mother ships" to get pirates and their speed boats several hundred kilometers off the north Somali coast. This is in the middle of the Gulf of Aden, where most of the ship traffic is. More nations are sending aircraft and warships to patrol the Gulf of Aden. But none of these nations are willing to go ashore to destroy pirate bases, and some are restricting the use of force (against the pirates) by their warships. The anti-pirate forces are constrained by their governments wish to avoid anything that will look bad in the news. The pirates know how to manipulate the media. So a policy of shooting up any speedboats full of gunmen found off the north coast of Somalia, carries with it the risk of bad press and being accused of war crimes.
The pirates know that, as long as they keep the body count (among the ship crews) down, they can go on with this scam for some time. At the moment, less than one half of one percent of the ships transiting the Gulf of Aden are even being attacked by the pirates, and fewer are being captured. From a business point of view, the shipping companies see this as a manageable risk. Insurance rates go up (and this pays for the ransoms) for ships moving through the Gulf of Aden, and life goes on.
The Somalis, however, are quite enthusiastic about this new economic opportunity. So far this year, the pirates have collected about $30 million in ransoms. Deduct about a third of that for fees (to the middlemen) and bribes (to the governments and clans in the north where the pirates operate, and you still have quite a payday for less than 2,000 freebooters. Thousands more Somali gunmen are moving in to get a piece of the action (which is now dominated by a few gangs, and fishermen who have long operated on the coast.) It's expected that this rush to the "gold coast" will result in turf battles and more casualties among the pirates. Since this is fairly normal violence for Somalia, it does not garner much media attention.
Islamic militants are increasing their attacks on civilians and foreign aid workers in central and southern Somalia. This has split the unity of the Islamic Courts groups. Some want to "purify" Somalia by forcing out or killing all foreigners and non-Moslems. This has already resulted in several attacks, and many threats, on Christians in the southern part of the country. Most foreign aid groups have already either shut down their operations, or are considering it. That's because of the increasing violence by Islamic terrorists, who cannot be bribed or placated in any way. But most of the Islamic Courts want more power, and as well as the goodies that the foreign aid workers bring in.
The violence in Mogadishu continues to cause several hundred casualties a week. The Ethiopians are not, historically, afraid of the Somalis, and can be just as violent. That is what is happening in Mogadishu. The Islamic militants continue attacking the Ethiopians, and the clans who do not support the Islamic Courts. The Ethiopians attack right back, driving out the civilians known, or suspected, of supporting the Islamic militants. In the last year, half the population has been driven out of the city, and forced to live in new refugee camps in the outskirts. The Islamic radicals live there too, surviving on foreign aid and commuting into the city to continue the fight. Nothing unusual by Somali standards.
October 5, 2008: The Islamic Courts have threatened to attack Kenya, if the Kenyans do not release Islamic Courts gunmen arrested in Kenya, and leave Islamic Courts operatives alone in the future. In the past, the Islamic Courts have crossed the border and kidnapped or killed Kenyan policemen, in order to keep the cops properly intimidated. For centuries, the Somalis have raided into what is now Kenya, looking for loot and slaves. Most Kenyans are very sensitive about this, and there is much popular support for being strict with the Somalis. Meanwhile, the Islamic Courts are trying to use refugee camps in Kenya, where Somalis live, as rest areas for their gunmen.
October 3, 2008: Russia has agreed to work with the International anti-piracy Task Force 150, operating in the Gulf of Aden. Earlier, the Russians had said they would go it alone. The Russians were expected to try using force to deal with the pirates. This horrified some of the countries contributing warships to the task force. But France has already used force twice, to rescue its citizens from the pirates, and is urging a more forceful approach to the pirate problem.
October 1, 2008: The Transitional National Government (TNG) (which controls about a third of the country, sort of) gave the world permission to use force against the Somali pirates up north. The world did not respond. The UN gave the world permission to go after the pirates three months ago, but that has only brought out over a dozen warships, who are basically under orders to look, but don't touch. But the EU (European Union), at the urging of France, has agreed to undertake a more violent operation against the pirates, this month or next. Details of this plan were not revealed, but it apparently includes violence.
September 30, 2008: There was a dispute between the pirates aboard the Ukrainian ship Faina, and three of the pirates were killed by gunfire. The dispute was apparently over how to negotiate the ransom for the ship. The insurance companies are not willing to pay a $20 million ransom for the ship, and so far have only been able to negotiate it down to $8 million. This is still about four times more than the bean counters are willing to pay. But the other side has lots of guns and short tempers, so this could get interesting.

No comments:

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

About Us

The Foundation is dedicated to networking like-minded Somalis opposed to the terrorist insurgency that is plaguing our beloved homeland and informing the international public at large about what is really happening throughout the Horn of Africa region.

Blog Archive

We Are Winning the War on Terrorism in Horn of Africa

The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for.

Terror Free Somalia Foundation