Middle East Politics.Net » Somalia

Chinese To Join Other Navies in Gulf of Aden

davidhulme — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 06:20:30 +0000

According to the NYT Dec 26, 2008, “The Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said Friday that 110 ships have been attacked in the gulf [of Aden] this year, and 42 have been hijacked. Fourteen ships are still being held for ransom.” This is part of the reason that China is sending warships to protect Chinese vessels carrying 60% of its oil imports and also raw materials from Africa. Both kinds of cargo cross the Gulf of Aden, the area suffering most from Somali pirate infestation. Chinese warships have not ventured outside of the Chinese region since the 15th century. They will join international efforts by other navies against this current form of piracy.

David Hulme

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225 Somali Refugees Rescued

bkeenan — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 06:54:30 +0000

In the Abyan province, 225 Somali refugees were rescued after their boat was destroyed. It is unknown how this happened. Along with those rescued, the Yemen Coast Guard found eight dead bodies near the beach where the refugees were found. Because Yemen holds the policy of allowing Somali refugees into their country, they will be allowed to stay in Yemen.

Brad Keenan

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Suez Canal Under Threat

alqassar — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:01:37 +0000

The Suez Canal is facing a massive test, as the scourge of Somali piracy prompts major shipping companies to seek another route.

Egypt, which is greatly dependent on the fees it charges ships to go through the Canal, has expressed concern over a possible drop in income — though it says it’s hopeful an international flotilla patrolling the pirate-infested waters will be able to guarantee safe passage.

At least two shipping companies have announced their vessels will take the long route around the southern tip of Africa rather than go through the Canal, which requires crossing through the Gulf of Aden, scene of most pirate attacks.

To avoid the Gulf of Aden, Europe’s largest shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S said last week it was telling some of its slower ships to sail around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, and Norwegian shipping group Odfjell SE ordered its more than 90 tankers to do the same. That means adding up to two weeks to some voyages.

Gen. Ahmed Fadel, of the Suez Canal Authority, played down the expediency of the South African route. “It is not easy or simple to divert through the Cape,” he said. “It will lead to an increase in commodities transport fees to more than 30 percent.”

In fiscal year 2008, Egypt earned $5 billion in canal fees — up from $4.6 billion the previous year — making it the country’s third largest revenue generator after tourism and remittances from expatriate workers.

So far, Egypt has urged the international community to strengthen its anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden, without raising the possibility of adding ships from its 20,000-member navy to the fight.

Yousif Al Qassar

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Tanker Hijacking Part of Recent Pattern of Piracy

Holly MacGillivray — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 21:18:34 +0000

In mid-November, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned company, Vela International Ltd., had one of its oil tankers, the Sirius Star, hijacked by Somali pirates, who are a part of an Islamist militia along the coast of Somalia. This hijacking is one of many this year. Pirates have found an increase in willingness of ship owners to pay ransom, resulting in a dramatic increase in piracy in Middle Eastern waters. The average asking price for a stolen ship is now over $1 million, compared to tens of thousands just a few years ago. Along with the increase in pirated ships is the increase in the number of crew members captured. From January to September 2008, 581crew members have been taken hostage, compared to 172 during the same period last year.

The hijacked Saudi Arabia tanker is the largest vessel ever seized. The original ransom amount was $25 million, but earlier this week, the pirates made noises of possibly lowering their demand. There is no confirmation of the exact amount, but the pirates seem willing to negotiate.

Holly MacGillivray

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Egypt Shows No Sign of Military Response to Piracy

aljoaan — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:26:25 +0000

The Indian Ocean faces a serious threat from marauding pirates who operate out of Somalia, and who have attacked the ancient sea trade routes linking East with West. Egypt has showed no immediate response to the problem, and has not opted to join the international community in fighting this growing menace. According to Reuters, the Egyptian government does not consider the issue to be important to it. One Egyptian Defense Ministry source told Reuters that ” that piracy was an international problem and had to be solved in an international framework.” This probably sums up the Egyptian government’s stance on the issue.

The Egyptian government does have the military capability to fight the piracy threat, but according to some analysts its concern is directed at keeping piracy out of the Red Sea, which it considers traditionally to be within its sphere of influence.

Ahmad Aljoaan

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Reconciliation Talks on Somalia to Take Place in Libya

rdickson — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:09:08 +0000

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, said Tuesday November 18^th, during an official visit to Tripoli, that he intended on moving reconciliation talks from Djibouti to Libya. Yusuf told reporters after meeting with Libyan leader Muammar Al-Qadafi in Tripoli, “I informed the brother Leader about developments in Somalia and turned over to him the file on Somali reconciliation, asking him to take personal charge of it.” He asked the Libyan leader to ask Djibouti President Omar Guelleh to change the location of the negotiation to Libya, because Libya has “more resources to host the talks.”

An agreement was made at UN-sponsored talked last month between the transnational federal government and the main opposition alliance concerning the conflict in Somalia and Ethiopia’s intervention in late 2006. The agreement established a cease fire and a gradual retraction of Ethiopian troops currently in Somalia. However, Islamists have rejected the accord and continue with hostilities.

Roy Dickson

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Iranian Ships Will Continue to Sail in Pirate Waters

kcahoon — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 05:16:50 +0000

Despite recent attacks on vessels at sea by Somali pirates, Iran has stated that its ships will not avoid these routes, according to the Tehran Times. Iran currently exports approximately 2.4 million barrels of crude oil per day, 25% of which is sent to Europe via pirate-infested waters. An Iranian-operated Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship carrying wheat is the latest vessel reported hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, according to both U.S. and Chinese officials. While a spokesman from the National Iranian Tanker Company says this does cause Iran some worry, he has also said that they will continue to use these routes. “We have been very careful when traveling in this region, but now we have to be even more careful.”

Kayla Cahoon

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Turkish Ship Hijacked by Somali Pirates

cicek — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:15:20 +0000

Turkish freighter “M/V Yasa Neslihan” was captured by armed Somali pirates, at the Gulf of Aden, Monday. The ship’s 20 crew members are also being held. Ankara demanded NATO’s help in order to free the vessel and the crew. Fehmi Ulgener, legal advisor to the Yasa Company, said that they were contacted by the pirates who demanded ransom. The amount was not specified to the press. The pirates “allowed” the company two months to make a decision.

Apparently, this is not the first time that the Turkish government has dealt with this issue because a Turkish warship launched operations in the area last month to protect ships from pirates. “Piracy is rife and well organised in the area where Somalia’s northeastern tip juts into the Indian Ocean, preying on a key maritime route leading to the Suez Canal.The pirates operate high-powered speedboats and are heavily armed, sometimes holding ships for weeks until they are released for large ransoms paid by governments or owners.”

Aylin Ece Cicek

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Tragedy Off Yemen’s Coast

hootstei — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 02:44:28 +0000

At least 52 Somali migrants died on September 29, 2008 off Yemen’s coast after the ship smuggling them broke down. The migrants had been adrift for approximately 18 days without food or water.

According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the crew on the smuggling boat told its passengers that they would travel into the Somali city of Bossaso in a smaller boat to re-charge a battery and then return. However, they never did.

Rescuers were able to save 71 people between the ages of 2 and 40. The passengers had paid $100 each for the voyage. The migrant ship is part of an armada in which over 31,000 African migrants have reached Yemen. The migrants, fleeing war and poverty in Somalia, are trying to enter Yemen as a “gateway to wealthier parts of the Middle East” as well as western nations. Despite the thousands who have made the journey, UNHCR calculated that 500 people have died or gone missing in the process.

This tragedy gives us an opportunity to reflect on the current situation not only in Africa but within Yemen. It illustrates how Yemen, despite the problems that exist in the Middle East, is seen as a haven for others. This fact gives Yemen a crucial role as an actor on the international and political spectrum.

Jenna Hootstein

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