Somali
pirates living the high life
He sounds uptight - anxious to
see if a multi-million dollar ransom demand will be met.
He is on board the hijacked Ukrainian vessel, MV Faina - the ship
laden with 33 Russian battle tanks that has highlighted the problem
of piracy off the Somali coast since it was captured almost a month
ago.
But who are these modern-day pirates?
According to residents in the Somali region of Puntland where most
of the pirates come from, they live a lavish life.
Fashionable
"They have money; they have power and they are getting stronger by
the day," says Abdi Farah Juha who lives in the regional capital,
Garowe
"They wed the most beautiful girls; they are building big houses;
they have new cars; new guns," he says.
"Piracy in many ways is socially acceptable. They have become
fashionable."
Most of them are aged between 20 and 35 years - in it for the money.
And the rewards they receive are rich in a country where almost half
the population need food aid after 17 years of non-stop conflict.
Most vessels captured in the busy shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden
fetch on average a ransom of $2m.
This is why their hostages are well looked after.
The BBC's reporter in Puntland, Ahmed Mohamed Ali, says it also
explains the tight operation the pirates run.
They are never seen fighting because the promise of money keeps them
together.
Wounded pirates are seldom seen and our reporter says he has never
heard of residents along Puntland's coast finding a body washed
ashore.
Given Somalia's history of clan warfare, this is quite a feat.
It probably explains why a report of a deadly shoot-out amongst the
pirates onboard the MV Faina was denied by the vessel's hijackers.
Pirate spokesman Sugule Ali told the BBC Somali Service at the time:
"Everybody is happy. We were firing guns to celebrate Eid."
Brains, muscle and geeks
The MV Faina was initially attacked by a gang of 62 men.
BBC Somalia analyst Mohamed Mohamed says such pirate gangs are
usually made up of three different types
Ex-fishermen, who are considered the brains of the operation because
they know the sea
Ex-militiamen, who are considered the muscle - having fought for
various Somali clan warlords
The technical experts, who are the computer geeks and know how to
operate the hi-tech equipment needed to operate as a pirate -
satellite phones, GPS and military hardware.
The three groups share the ever-increasing illicit profits - ransoms
paid in cash by the shipping companies.
A report by UK think-tank Chatham House says piracy off the coast of
Somalia has cost up to $30m (£17m) in ransoms so far this year.
The study also notes that the pirates are becoming more aggressive
and assertive - something the initial $22m ransom demanded for MV
Faina proves. The asking price has apparently since fallen to $8m.
Calling the shots
Yemen, across the Gulf of Aden, is reportedly where the pirates get
most of their weapons from.
A significant number are also bought directly from the Somali
capital, Mogadishu.
Observers say Mogadishu weapon dealers receive deposits for orders
via a "hawala" company - an informal money transfer system based on
honour.
Militiamen then drive the arms north to the pirates in Puntland,
where they are paid the balance on delivery.
It has been reported in the past that wealthy businessmen in Dubai
were financing the pirates.
But the BBC's Somali Service says these days it is the businessmen
asking the pirates for loans.
Such success is a great attraction for Puntland's youngsters, who
have little hope of alternative careers in the war-torn country.
Once a pirate makes his fortune, he tends to take on a second and
third wife - often very young women from poor nomadic clans, who are
renowned for their beauty.
But not everyone is smitten by Somalia's new elite.
"This piracy has a negative impact on several aspects of our life in
Garowe," resident Mohamed Hassan laments.
He cites an escalating lack of security because "hundreds of armed
men" are coming to join the pirates.
They have made life more expensive for ordinary people because they
"pump huge amounts of US dollars" into the local economy which
results in fluctuations in the exchange rate, he says.
Their lifestyle also makes some unhappy.
"They promote the use of drugs - chewing khat [a stimulant which
keeps one alert] and smoking hashish - and alcohol," Mr Hassan says.
The trappings of success may be new, but piracy has been a problem
in Somali waters for at least 10 years - when Somali fishermen began
losing their livelihoods.
Their traditional fishing methods were no match for the illegal
trawlers that were raiding their waters.
Piracy initially started along Somalia's southern coast but began
shifting north in 2007 - and as a result, the pirate gangs in the
Gulf of Aden are now multi-clan operations.
But Garowe resident Abdulkadil Mohamed says, they do not see
themselves as pirates.
"Illegal fishing is the root cause of the piracy problem," he says.
"They call themselves coastguards."
Source:BBC
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