Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Somali Pirete News Roundup: Somali pirate sentenced to nearly 34 years in prison : more. Somali Pirates Related Stories> Joy As 39 Hijacked Fishermen Arrive Home . Account of misdeeds by Somali pirates: Norwegian shipper: kill pirates 'on the spot'. Somali pirates use captive crew to attack vessels - hostage: Diary of SKorean held by Somali pirates revealed

Somali pirate sentenced to nearly 34 years in prison
update on Manhattan U.S. Attorney

Somali pirate suspect pleads innocent in NY court,

New York (CNN) -- A federal court has sentenced a Somali man to nearly 34 years in prison Wednesday for acts related to high-seas piracy, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York.Abduwali Abukhadir Muse pleaded guilty to the April 2009 hijacking of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama and for subsequently taking the ship's captain hostage.He was sentenced on Wednesday to 405 months in prison, the statement said. "I'm sorry very much for what happened to victims on ship, I am very sorry about what I caused," Muse said. "I was recruited by people more powerful than me," asking "forgiveness for all the people I harmed and the U.S. government."Muse was also sentenced for his participation in the hijacking of two other vessels in late March and early April of 2009, which also involved the taking of hostages, the statement said.He pleaded guilty on May 18, 2010, to two felony counts of hijacking maritime vessels, two felony counts of kidnapping, and two felony counts of hostage taking, it added."For five days that must have seemed like an eternity to his victims, Abduwali Abukhadir Muse terrorized the captain and crew of the Maersk Alabama, said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. "Now he will pay for those five days and the events leading up to them."The attack occurred in the Gulf of Aden between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.In the hijacking, U.S. Navy SEALs ultimately rescued the ship's captain, Richard Phillips, while he was held hostage in a lifeboat not far from the Alabama.Phillips was initially hailed as a hero for his actions in exchanging himself for the safety of his crew. Later, many of those crew members told CNN that Phillips had ignored several explicit warnings that urged him to stay away from the shipping lanes where the attack took place.Phillips returned to sea about a year after that attack and was not reassigned to the Alabama.Until last year, there had not been a piracy-related conviction in the United States since 1861, during the Civil War, officials said.
Teen Somali pirate sentenced to nearly 34 years

OSLO, Norway A Norwegian shipping magnate was strongly criticized Wednesday for suggesting that pirates captured off the Horn of Africa should be sunk with their skiffs or executed on the spot."When (piracy) implies a great risk of being caught and hanged, and the cost of losing ships and weapons becomes too big, it will decrease and eventually disappear," Jacob Stolt-Nielsen said in an op-ed in Norwegian financial newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv.  more..
shipper: kill pirates 'on the spot'

S. Korea to fly bodies of pirates to Somalia


Joy As 39 Hijacked Fishermen Arrive Home .
Nairobi — Kenyans captured by Somali pirates served as slaves and were forced to help in the capture of other ships in the Indian Ocean waters.The 39 Kenyans, who were held hostage for four months, on Tuesday told a harrowing story of torture, deprivation, slavery and eventual freedom, as their ship finally berthed at Kilindini, to a tumultuous welcome . They told of despair as their captivity rolled from days, to weeks and months as their captors negotiated for the Sh50 million ransom. When the talks collapsed, their hope of ever walking out of their ship alive dimmed and they sank into despair and a feeling of hopelessness.

But on Tuesday, they walked into the sunny Kilindini harbour to the warm and teary embrace of family and friends as their ship, the MV Golden Wave, sounded one final triumphal horn and docked into Kilindini Wharf.In what is fast becoming a routine in the wake of increased piracy in the Indian Ocean, family members arrived at the seaside in the wee hours to receive their long-lost loved ones.
Mr Josech Amere, one of the freed fishermen, said they were forced to carry ladders and hooks used to climb into ships that were being hijacked. The pirates hijacked five ships during the hostages' time in captivity."We were first asked to disembark and confirm the area was safe for the pirates to attack. This posed many dangers to us and it is only through God's mercy that we survived the risks," said Mr Amere.He said the pirates were operating in Kenyan waters."At one time we hijacked a Singapore registered ship 30 miles off the Kenya shore but the Kenyan security failed to rescue us," said Mr Amere.The 43 hostages were not provided with adequate water and food."We were all being locked up in one of the rooms of the hull and were not allowed out of the room. The room was untidy and poorly ventilated," said Mr Amere.Mr Mihadi Daniel said they were held in Haradheere in Somalia. Their six-day journey to Mombasa was peaceful since they were being escorted by Mv Bonjanma, a Finish naval ship."The day we were hijacked on October 9, we had escaped the pirates three times but the captain defied our request to change the course. After the pirates sprayed our vessel with bullets, the captain surrendered and we were taken to Haradheere where the pirates' commander lives," said Daniel adding that the pirates were armed with AK-47 rifles and rocket launchers.He said their Korean Captain, Mr Kim De Geon, was given tough options -- to chose between paying the ransom, having the fishing vessel used as a 'mother ship' to hunt other ships or have his head chopped off.

Fearing for his life and unable to raise the ransom, Mr Geon chose to surrender the ship to the pirates."It was a matter of life and death, I had no money and I couldn't allow them to cut off my head as they had threatened that is why I felt the only option is to hand over the ship to the pirates," he said.On Tuesday at Mbaraki Wharf, families of the 39 Kenyan, two Korean and two Chinese crew members were reunited with their families.Some family members who travelled from as far as Central Province to welcome their relatives shed tears of joy as they hugged and kissed at Mbaraki wharf.Before the families met the arriving fishermen, they were locked outside the Mbaraki Wharf compound for more than four hours as health officials, customs officers and the police interviewed the crew members on their experience in the hands of the pirates.Ms Catherine Amina, the mother of Suleiman Mwacharo, the youngest fisherman in the group, described yesterday's event as the day of resurrection."We have been living in sorrow and despair especially in the past one month after we received news that negotiations to release our children had hit a snag but seeing my child today is like he has been reborn," said Ms Amina.

Account of misdeeds by Somali pirates
New Delhi: Somalia has not had a functioning government in two decades, and piracy has flourished off its coast. The elusive robbers of the high seas have greatly expanded the areas where they operate in the recent years and Indian sailors are facing the crisis with very little or simply no support from the government.The pirates have already struck four times capturing at least 27 Indian sailors in 2011. An anti-piracy mission on January 28, 2011, saw the Navy kill ten pirates and arrest 20. Last year in September, the MT Asphalt Venture was hijacked, the fate of the fifteen Indians on board remains uncertain...More Account of misdeeds by Somali pirates

Somali pirates use captive crew to attack vessels - hostage

MOMBASA, Kenya, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Somali pirates forced a hostage crew to hijack vessels in exchange for freedom, a released seaman said on Tuesday, indicating a change in tactics by sea bandits plaguing the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean."The other two options -- beheading the captain or a $6 million ransom -- were unworkable," Kenyan Joseph Amere told Reuters as he set foot on home soil in the port city of Mombasa.Somali pirates seized the South Korean MV Golden Wave in October and deployed the fishing vessel as a mothership, a strategy that has allowed them to extend their reach as far south as Madagascar and as far east as a few hundred miles off India. Amere, who had acted as the crew's chief negotiator with pirate bosses, said they had been illegally trawling for crabs off the shores of Somalia, a country mired in conflict and awash with weapons since the 1991 fall of  Mohamed Siad Barre.The 43-strong crew, which included two Chinese and two South Korean nationals, had been forced to launch 17 raids on ships plying the busy waterways between east Africa and the Seychelles archipelago, he said. It was not possible to verify the reports. more
Diary of SKorean held by Somali pirates revealed
SEOUL, South Korea – A South Korean ship captain held by Somali pirates for four months plotted to escape by slipping sleeping pills into his captors' drinks but failed to do so because his Kenyan chef feared retaliation, a news report said Wednesday.

The captain, Kim Dae-keun, was one of 43 sailors freed last week from captivity. The ship and its crew arrived in Kenya on Tuesday.Several days after being abducted, Kim asked his Kenyan chef to put sleeping pills in water to be served to the Somali pirates, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing a diary it said Kim wrote during his captivity  .more.


Danish Warship Frees Ship Hijacked by Pirates

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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

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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.

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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.

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