The Islamic Courts should take over Puntland

[American-Suufi]

Give credit to the Islamic Courts they stopped pirates kidnapping ships (including ships carrying aid for starving Somalis) and showed them no mercy. Puntland government is either incompetent or influential members of Puntland adminstration are partners with these pirates.

Somalia: 'Pirates Are Stronger Than Us Eyl Mayor

Garowe Online

23 August 2008
Posted to the web 25 August 2008

The mayor of a small coastal town in northeastern Somalia has declared that local authorities are unable to stop pirates.

Abdullahi Said O'Yusuf, the mayor of Eyl in Puntland region, confirmed Radio Garowe during a Saturday interview that four hijacked ships are being held hostage near the town's shores.

"They are stronger than us," Mayor O'Yusuf said, while speaking of the pirates.

He condemned continued attacks on foreign ships traveling across the Indian Ocean, while underlining that local authorities "cannot do anything" to stop piracy.

The Associated Press has reported that four ships - with owners in Malaysia, Iran, Japan and Germany and a total crew of 96 people are being held hostage by Somali pirates.

Mayor O'Yusuf said the pirates who hijacked the ships "are the same ones who received ransom payments before," referring to previous pirate attacks in the region.

According to the Mayor, pirates use ransom payments to "buy houses in big cities" in different parts of the country.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200808250109.html

Economists warn of impact from Somali pirating acts on Yemeni economy (Yemen Times Online)

ADEN,Aug, 22 Yemeni economists warned that the Somali pirating acts that target international marine ships and commercial tankers in the international waters of the African Horn and Gulf of Aden will have a negative effect on the Yemeni economy, demanding that security measures should be taken to maintain "the national economic security."

The Anti-Pirating Center of the International Navigation Office announced last Friday that Somali pirates seized a German cargo ship across from the Somali coast. This event came a day after two Japanese and Iranian ships were subjected to a pirating operation by armed Somalis.

Khalid Taha Mustafa, vice president of the Yemeni Commercial and Industrial Chambers Union, told Al-Seyasseyah state-run newspaper that the continuation of pirating acts in the international navigation route in the Africa Horn and Gulf of Aden will have a negative impact on international cargo companies as these companies will raise the cost of insurance they pay for their ships.

Mustafa pointed out that the high cost of insurance that companies pay for their commercial ships will lead to an increase in the price of items, noting that citizens in Yemen will shoulder the burden. He suggested that the Yemeni government and the international community should secure the route of international navigation, "combating pirating in order to ensure economic settlement of the commercial items".

Since last Thursday, four commercial ships were subjected to pirating acts in the African Horn and Gulf of Aden, which are considered a main marine passage connecting the Asia and Europe continents.

The Malaysian International Navigation Transportation Company established yesterday a team to combat pirating attacks after one of its ships was subjected to pirating last Tuesday in the international waters of the Aden Gulf. The ship was on its way to the Polish Roterdem harbor from Domai city in Indonesia.

The Misk Transportation Company said that the Tanker "N. T. Ponja Milati Duwa" with its crew consisting of 29 Malaysians and 10 Filipinos, was attacked in the Aden Gulf area located between Yemen and Somalia.

Misk Transportation Company is a wing specialized in the sea cargo for the Malaysian Patroness Oil and Gas Company. In a press release published by media outlets, the company said, "We demand the United Nations to take immediate steps to deal with the situation that is increasingly being aggravated". The release pointed out that the company sent another ship to track down the tanker "which is believed to be heading toward the Somali waters".

A Thailand company declared last week that Somali pirates seized its wood cargo ship near the Yemeni coast while the ship was heading to Aden port. Somali pirates are still in possession of a cargo ship belonging to Japan, which they hijacked this past July.

A source from the Yemeni Coast Guards told the Yemen Times that Yemen is not responsible for the hijacking events that occur outside of the Yemeni territorial waters. He considered that the Yemeni Coast Guard Authority has only the capability to protect the Yemeni coasts, which extend for more than 2200 kilometers.

Paris, which has a military base in Djibouti and marine forces spreading throughout the Indian Ocean, offered this past February to support the Yemeni marine forces "to stop the process of trafficking African refugees and drugs to Yemeni lands without approaching Yemeni territorial waters."

The same source, preferring to remain anonymous, maintained that the Yemeni government is coordinating with the American and French marine forces based in the international waters "to maintain the security of the international sea aviation route in the Aden Gulf and prevent hijacking incidents committed by Somali pirates."

This past April, the Yemeni Coast Guards foiled an attempted hijacking against a Japanese oil tanker in Aden Gulf. The African Horn area and Aden Gulf are considered the most high-risk areas among international sea aviation areas due to the civil wars in Somalia that have been ongoing since 1991 in addition to the weak role of the current transitional government in Somalia.

Earlier this August, pirates set free two Germany tourists who were taken hostage in an area north of Somalia after their yacht was subjected to a pirating operation this past June.

Since the beginning of this year, the African Horn and Aden Gulf regions have witnessed the hijacking of 30 ships, tankers and yachts according to the Yemen Times Statistics. In 2007, Aden Gulf witnessed 25 hijacking operations. Somali pirates gain a lot of wealth through their pirating acts.

The International Security Council has allowed recently naval fighting ships to enter the Somali territorial waters to combat pirating acts that target the international sea aviation in the African Horn and Aden gulf regions.

http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1184&p=local&a=1

[kenyan4life]

its wont happen, speading the conflict to puntland wont help, ICU should stick to the south and negociate for peace.

who cares about the Yemen economy the pirates are somalis version of a naval force

[kenyan4life]

plus you dont want the Somali Self-Destructive Syndrome to spread to all corners of somalia, its just not worth it.

[American-Suufi]

its wont happen, speading the conflict to puntland wont help, ICU should stick to the south and negociate for peace.

who cares about the Yemen economy the pirates are somalis version of a naval force

Inflation, higher oil prices that inflated the prices of goods consumed by all somalis, food aid, Somali livestock is all affected by the actions of these mercenary pirates. It affects the livelihood of all Somalis. When I say Islamic Courts it doesnt mean Al-shabab, it means the local wadaads.

Special report: The impact of piracy on livelihoods and food security in Somalia

Background

Increased piracy off the coast of Somalia is negatively affecting livelihoods, especially in the south where food security conditions are critical. Piracy is hampering both commercial and humanitarian shipping, which accounts for the majority of the countries imports. As a result, commodity prices are increasing (including food and fuel), income from commercial activities and related logistical operations are being undermined, and humanitarian aid deliveries are being delayed and their costs are increasing.

Concurrently commercial traffic along Somalia's coast has increased. In a normal year, traders import between 200,000 and 400,000 metric tons of foodstuffs--especially rice, sugar and pasta--via ocean transport. About half of the country's cereal food requirements and most of its non-food items come via sea freight.

Read

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db9 ... enDocument

[American-Suufi]

Increased commodity prices

Piracy is constricting the supply of commercial cargo to Somalia. Increasingly, commercial cargo vessels are being diverted to Persian Gulf countries to reduce the risk of piracy which is leading to a reduction in the amount of cargo arriving in Somalia. As a result of piracy, most urban markets in southern Somalia are reporting a slowdown of imported commodities, followed by price increases over the last six months for rice, sugar and fuel. For instance, in Mogadishu's main Bakara market, rice prices are twice that of a normal year(1) and increasing. Contrary to the norm, rice prices increased by 17 percent from 6,000 SOSH per kilogram in September 2005 to 7,000 SOSH per kilogram in November 2005 (see fig 1). Rice prices normally fall between September and November after the high season monsoon is over because the calmer seas allow smaller vessels which account for a significant portion of the cargo that enters Somalia to safely navigate the Somali coast.


Imported Rice Price in Mogadishu Bakara Market compared with Average, from 2000 to 2005 (November)


Piracy has also resulted in fuel shortages in Somalia. Due to high global fuel prices and disruptions in supply to the country, fuel prices have increased by ten percent between September and November from 10,000 Somali Shilling (SoSh) to 11,000 SoSh per liter.

The combination of reduced supply, higher fuel prices and, therefore, higher per unit transport costs and longer supply chains created to avoid the southern Somali coast (i.e. via Kenya)--have resulted in increases in basic commodity prices having a significant impact on food security by reducing the purchasing power of households. This situation is unlikely to change, unless some significant action is taken to bring piracy under control.

Reduced income from commercial trade

Since the civil war broke out, many Somalis, especially those in the south, have been struggling to improve their livelihoods by stepping up commercial activities to the point that many household livelihoods revolve around self employment. According to UNDP about 30 percent of per capita household income(2) is derived from self employment through such activities as petty trade, sale of farm and livestock products, sale of bush product, the provision of transport, etc. Piracy has reduced commercial activity especially in coastal areas of southern Somalia thereby reducing the income generated from these activities.

Income from ocean transport operations in ports

Sea ports (fig 2) are important centers of employment. For instance, in a normal year about 22 vessels arrive in Elmain harbor in northern Mogadishu. About 200 people earn between two and four US dollars a day each time a vessel passes through the port. However, piracy has reduced the number of ships entering Elmain harbor to 11 so far this year. Thus, the demand for dockside labor has been significantly reduced. In addition to the direct reduction in port labor, petty traders in port cities have also lost business. A similar pattern is visible throughout southern Somalia's ports.

Increased transport costs

Not only has piracy increased fuel costs which have a direct impact on in-country transport costs, it is forcing humanitarian and commercial cargo through more expensive terrestrial routes including via Kenya and Djibouti. These additional transport costs are either being passed on to consumers in the form of price increases or resulting in higher cost humanitarian operations which potentially mean less humanitarian aid at a time when the food security southern Somalia is critical following the failure of both the Gu (March -- May) and Deyr (October -- December) rains this year. The World Food Programme (WFP) indicates that it costs 25 - 30 percent more to transport food aid to Somalia by road via Kenya than by ocean freight.

Delays in delivery of humanitarian aid

Humanitarian interventions are being hampered in a number of ways. Although community elders were able to secure their release, two vessels carrying WFP food aid have been hijacked so far this year. As a result, humanitarian organizations are looking for alternative routes to bring food aid into southern Somalia, including overland from Kenya and through Djibouti. Despite high costs, WFP has already delivered about 500 metric tones via land (from Kenya to Wajid District of Bakool Region in southern Somalia) to avoid potential delays due to piracy.

Piracy is also exacerbating fuel shortages affecting flights and thus humanitarian access to drought affected regions. This has a significant impact on humanitarian interventions, particularly on relief transport costs and on assessment and monitoring.

Conclusion

Over one million people are food insecure in Somalia. Over 600,000 of these people are currently facing severe food shortages in southern Somali. Piracy is chocking the maritime supply of basic commodities because private commercial vessels are unwilling to risk sailing in Somali waters. Food imports have been especially affected at a time when they are most needed to off-set poor and failed production in 2005. At the same time humanitarian organizations are intensifying their interventions to mitigate the extreme food insecurity created by conflict, crop losses, high cereal prices and insufficient income-earning opportunities. But these critical interventions are being slowed down by piracy.

Although livestock has traditionally been Somalia's predominant industry, the livestock export ban between 1998 and 2004 has reduced its importance pushing more people to rely on the ocean for their livelihoods. The looming possibility of a ban being placed on international vessels sailing in Somali waters by the IMB, would have a serious impact on the livelihoods and thus the food security of the country, similar to the impact of the livestock ban.

Although the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia has made an effort to improve the situation by contracting the Topcoat Marine Security, piracy remains rife. If action to contain the piracy problem is not successful, the coastline could be declared a war zone resulting in a ban on international marine transport. This would have profound consequences for vulnerable populations who would find themselves subject to even higher basic commodity prices and be stripped further of income-earning opportunities. Furthermore, humanitarian organizations would face even greater challenges in accessing and providing assistance to these populations.

see the figures on ;

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db9 ... enDocument