More Piracy Near Somalia

[davidbfpo]

A sorry tale of rivalry, power and a "strategic corporal" thanks to FP Blog, with a long article on a UAE funded attempt to counter piracy on land in Puntland:

In June of this year, my bow-hunting friend, a group of four dozen South African mentors,and 500 newly trained Somali recruits pointed their armada of 70 shiny Toyota Land cruisers, a small fleet of high-powered rigid inflatable boats, helicopters, and fixed-wing aircraft towards the coast of Somalia -- the heart of pirate country.

This once-motley group, the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF), had been trained by African, British, South African, and U.S. foreign contractors for two years; in May 2011, they began setting up forward operating bases in remote coastal areas of Eyl, Hafun, Bargal, and Qaw. By June 2012, they were ready for the full invasion wave.

The final irony is in the last sentence:

Meanwhile, pirate chief Isse Yulux seems to be doing fine: he's even offered to pay the salaries of the remaining PMPF officers.

Link to article first and then photos:http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...ates?page=full and http://www.foreignpolicy.com/article...es_of_puntland

On SWC we often desire local partners willing and capable of doing the hard work, yes even when paid by outsiders, but there must be something in the Somali air and air-conditioned rooms nearby that destroys hope.

[davidbfpo]

Hat tip to CIMIC for the link to an official Puntland statement rejecting an allegation made by ABC that the PMPF was a 'private army':http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/...cy_Force.shtml

[AdamG]

WASHINGTON — It seemed like a simple idea: In the chaos that is Somalia, create a sophisticated, highly trained fighting force that could finally defeat the pirates terrorizing the shipping lanes off the Somali coast.

But the creation of the Puntland Maritime Police Force was anything but simple. It involved dozens of South African mercenaries and the shadowy security firm that employed them, millions of dollars in secret payments by the United Arab Emirates, a former clandestine officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, and Erik Prince, the billionaire former head of Blackwater Worldwide who was residing at the time in the emirates.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/05/wo...n-somalia.html

[roger erickson]

Why does this sound so similar to ... well, to EVERYTHING we read in the press?

just one example paraphrase:

"WASHINGTON — It seemed like a simple idea: In the chaos that is [Washington, DC], create a sophisticated, highly trained [economic] force that could finally defeat the pirates terrorizing the [finance] lanes off the [Wall Street] coast.

But the creation of the Puntland [Parttime Regulatory Farce] was anything but simple. It involved dozens of [retired political] mercenaries and the shadowy [lobbyist] firms that employed them, millions of dollars in secret payments by the United [Grab Campaignirates], a former clandestine officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, and the [Princelings], the billionaire former [employees] of [the too big to fail banks] who [were] residing at the time in all the [key policy agencies]."

[davidbfpo]

Short update and then the cost of anti-piracy measures for the shipowners:

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has dropped off dramatically in 2012. Successful ship hijackings have decreased from 31 in 2011 (and 49 in 2010) to only four so far in 2012. Attacks against ships have also decreased, falling from 199 reported attacks in the first nine months of 2011 to 70 attacks over the same span in 2012 -- a 65 percent drop. However, diminished activity does not necessarily mean a decrease in the cost of sailing around the Horn of Africa.

Armed guards:

the widespread deployment of armed guards beginning in 2011 (guards had been used sparingly as far back as 2008) has a very close correlation to the recent decrease in hijackings. In late 2009, only about 10-20 percent of commercial ships sailing through waters where Somali pirates operate carried guards; today, some estimates put the percentage as high as 70 percent. To date, pirates have never successfully hijacked a ship that had armed guards. But it should be noted that, even though the use of armed guards appears to be the most effective countermeasure against piracy, there are other factors at work.

The cost:

...the total annual cost for shipping companies merely to deploy armed guards on their ships through the Gulf of Aden is between about $800 million and $1.4 billion.

Taken from "The Expensive, Diminishing Threat of Somali Piracy is republished with permission of Stratfor":http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/expen...-somali-piracy

[davidbfpo]

A simply bizarre story:

the quasi-government of Puntland has confirmed that security forces impounded a North Korea-Flagged vessel, M.V. Daesan, for dumping materials, including cement, near the coast of the Puntland port city of Bossaso, the radio adds...was seized 13 nautical miles east of Bossaso as it was in the process of unloading some 5,000 metric tonnes of cement. The Puntland authorities have condemned the illegal and environmentally destructive practice by the ship-owners.

Link:http://www.nknews.org/2012/11/north-...uck-in-somali/

[davidbfpo]

The Panama-flagged MV Iceberg One was seized off the Yemeni coast in 2009, and was being held near Gara'ad village on the coast in Mudug region when Puntland's maritime troops surrounded it on 10 December.

In their statement, the Puntland authorities said their troops fought the pirates for two weeks before safely rescuing all 22 hostages on board the ship.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20832401

At last! I have m' doubts about a long fight, more likely a cordon and talk. Note no reference to any prisoners being taken.