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by Muuse Yuusuf
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The gathering of warships from over 20 countries off the coast of Somalia is a telling story. Some of these countries are sworn enemies that rather than cooperate would use their might to destroy each other. Probably for the first time in history, Chinese and American warships are standing shoulder to shoulder to defeat a common enemy. Sarcastically, their enemy is not another great naval alliance but ragtag militias of Somali nationals who, for one reason or another, are determined to achieving their objectives, be it defending their national territorial waters, as some of them would claim, or even making money in a world motivated by the pursuit and maximisation of wealth creation as proven by foreign ships that have been fishing in Somalia’s territorial waters illegally.
The Armada, which has the UN backing, has somehow managed to curb the number of attacks by pirates, which were over 100 attacks last year. However, despite its presence, 270 hostages are being held, and 8 vessels are still in captivity. The latest incidents, including the hijacking of an American ship and the drama of the escape bid by its Captain Richard Phillips, show that the Armada has failed its mention which was to fight and eliminate piracy. Also, one wonders how long is the Armada prepared to stay put off the coast of Somalia because the root cause of piracy is state failure and finding solution to that may well take a very long time.
As usual, the mainstream media is portraying Somali piracy as pure criminality in the high seas, which is against international laws and ought to be brought under control. However, except few media outlets such as the CBC TV in Canada, the media has failed to investigate and report the real causes behind the piracy, which, among other things, include: state failure, illegal fishing, waste-dumping, poverty and so forth.
According to UN reports, 700 fishing boats from over 10 countries and from far places as Thailand and Japan had been congregating at Somalia’s waters as early as 1990s, causing environmental havoc. Somali fishermen complained about the harassment and intimidation by these ships. Here is how a fisherman described the plight they were facing; "They are not only taking and robbing us of our fish, but they are also trying to stop us from fishing," said Jeylani Shaykh Abdi. "[Our] existence depends on the fish," he said. Mr Hussein has accused the international community of "talking only about the piracy problem in Somalia, but not about the destruction of our coast and our lives by these foreign ships."
Even if one takes into account the organised and mechanised fishing activities during the collapsed central government, it is questionable whether they could have had such an impact on marine resources. This is because the few hundred fishing fleet boats that the military regime had procured were out of work in 1970s due to disrepairs and lack of maintenance.
Also, UN reports indicate some marine species have been disappearing from Somali waters, and coral reefs have been damaged. It is questionable whether Somali fishermen could have caused such damage because the fishing community in Somalia is a very small compared to other sectors. It roughly employs about 90,000 (1990) and its numbers have been declining due to displacement. The community also uses rudimentary fishing tools and does not have the well-mechanised fishing fleet that one needs to drive some species to the point of extinction. Furthermore, Somalis are not sea people and are not fish meat enthusiasts because traditionally most Somalis are nomads who love their camel and cow meat.
The dumping of toxic and industrial waste in Somalia’s waters is another issue that has not been fully investigated or taken up by the media. However, UN reports indicate that as early as 1990s European companies had been dumping hazardous industrial waste in Somali waters, as this was the cheapest option for them. This is what a UN official has to say about this sensitive issue; “Somalia has been used as a dumping ground for hazardous waste starting about the early 1990s and continuing through the civil war there,” he noted. “European companies found it to be very cheap to get rid of waste there, costing as little as $2.50 a ton where disposal costs in Europe are something like $250 a ton. And the waste is many different kinds. There is lead. There is heavy metal like cadmium and mercury. There is industrial waste and there is hospital waste, chemical wastes. You name it," said Mr. Nuttal, a spokes person for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).