UN Accuses Bugland Leaders on Supporting Pirates

[Jacaylbaro]

DJIBOUTI CITY, Somalia Sep 19 (Garowe Online) - The United Nations Special Representative for Somalia, Mr. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, held a press conference Friday in Djibouti where he discussed piracy and an Islamist militia’s threat to shut down Mogadishu's international airport.

 

Speaking in French, Mr. Ould-Abdallah said leaders in Somalia's self-governing region of Puntland are directly linked to pirate gangs operating there.

 

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, UN Special Envoy for Somalia

"The Puntland leadership has made it easy for pirates to establish a base there [in Puntland]," the UN Special Envoy said, while alleging that ransom money collected by pirates "will be used to fund the 2009 presidential elections in Puntland."

 

He indicated that piracy has worsened inflation across Somalia and threatens the security of Somalia's neighbors, including Ethiopia and Yemen.

 

Further, the Envoy said the Islamist militant group al Shabaab's threat to shoot down airplanes attempting to land at Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport has a negative impact on the civilian population.

 

"Mogadishu's airport belongs to all Somalis," he said, while underscoring that piracy and terrorism are part of the larger problem in Somalia, where "some groups oppose peace and stability."

 

Puntland government leaders have not responded to the UN Special Envoy's serious allegations, but Mr. Ould-Abdallah said he will present these issues to Somali government and opposition delegates meeting in Djibouti for a joint decision which will be presented to the United Nations.

[Jacaylbaro]

Jabuuti:- Wakiilka Gaarka ah Q.M u qaabilsan Arimaha Somaliya Ninka lagu magcaabo Ahmed Ould Abdallaha ayaa isaga oo ku sugan dalka Jamhuuriyada Jabuuti waxa uu ka dhawaajiyay in xukuumada Puntland ay Gacan saar wayn la leedahay Falalka Budhcad badeed ah, Mr Abdallaha ayaa sheegay inay jiraan rag aad loo yaqaan oo ka shaqeeya Falalkaasi.

 

Ahmed Ould Abdallaha ayaa maanta shir ku qabtay Aqalka Umada ee Dalka Jabuuti waxana uu aad uga hadlay arimaha haatan ka taagan Somaliya isaga oo si qota dheer uga hadlay dagaalada Muqdisho, Afduubka Maraakiibta iyo Xidhitaanka Garoonka diyaaradaha ee Caasimada Somaliya.

 

Mr Abdallaha ayaa waxaasi oo dhan ku tilmaamay inay maleegayaan kuwa doonaya in Somaliya ka dhalan Nabad waarta waxa uu sheegay in Budhcad Badeeda Puntland ku sugan iyo Xidhitaanka Garoonka Muqdisho ay leeyihiin saamayn wayn marka loo eego shacabka Somaliya ee 20- sano la soo jeefay Colaada iyo Macaluusha.

 

Wakiilka ayaa sidoo kale xusay in Xukuumada Puntland ay beesha Caalamku isla qirtay inay xidhiidh toos ah la leeyihiin Budhcad badeeda, Masuulkaasi waxa uu Cararbaabay in Doorashayiinka Puntland loogu diyaar garoobayo Lacagaha laga qaado Afduubka Maraakiibta shisheeye.

 

Sidoo kale Masuulkaasi UN-ka ka tirsane waxa uu ka hadlay Shirka Jabuuti uga socda Mucaaradka iyo DFS isaga oo shaaciyay in Go"aamada ka soo baxaya ay u gudbin doonaan Golaha Amaanka si looga baaraan dego Xaalada Somaliya.

 

Hadlka Wakiilka UN-ka ee Somaliya ayaa ku soo aadaya xili Xeebaha Ismaamul Goboleedka Puntland lagu haysto ilaa 20- Markab kuwaasi oo dhamaan ay Budhcadu dalbatay Madaxfurasho Lacageed.

[N.O.R.F]

Maybe not supporting but certainly turning a blind eye.

[Juje]

Originally posted by Norf 1:

Maybe not supporting but certainly turning a blind eye.

They are doing both.

[Jacaylbaro]

Speaking in French, Mr. Ould-Abdallah said leaders in Somalia's self-governing region of Puntland are directly linked to pirate gangs operating there.

 

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, UN Special Envoy for Somalia

"The Puntland leadership has made it easy for pirates to establish a base there [in Puntland]," the UN Special Envoy said, while alleging that ransom money collected by pirates "will be used to fund the 2009 presidential elections in Puntland."

[Sir-Qalbi-Adeyg]

What does puntland affairs have to do with a 'khatlander' like yourself?

[Jacaylbaro]

Mr. Ould-Abdallah is not from Somaliland....

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

Warya JB, your on bugland's case a little much lately, no?

[Jacaylbaro]

Not more than what the news says about it yaa Naxar ,,,

[Peace Action]

NG,

Mr. Bugland is on steriods these days, I am waiting the day Riyaale is out of power, he will be in Bosaso to be spokesman for the pirates.

 

I think Ould is very naive in this matter. IF the major powers USA, France, Germany, Spain, even Malaysia have their warships in the sea near the Somali coast can not or may be will not do anything about this problem, why should Punltand?

[Jacaylbaro]

Rayaale is not more than a politician elected by the public and will go by vote. If he goes, there would be a more extremist one that will make you cry even more.

 

 

why should Punltand?

Coz they are part of it ....

[Member-sol-]

Life in Somalia's pirate town

 

By Mary Harper

BBC Africa analyst

 

 

Whenever word comes out that pirates have taken yet another ship in the Somali region of Puntland, extraordinary things start to happen.

 

 

There is a great rush to the port of Eyl, where most of the hijacked vessels are kept by the well-armed pirate gangs.

 

People put on ties and smart clothes. They arrive in land cruisers with their laptops, one saying he is the pirates' accountant, another that he is their chief negotiator.

 

With yet more foreign vessels seized off the coast of Somalia this week, it could be said that hijackings in the region have become epidemic.

 

Insurance premiums for ships sailing through the busy Gulf of Aden have increased tenfold over the past year because of the pirates, most of whom come from the semi-autonomous region of Puntland.

 

In Eyl, there is a lot of money to be made, and everybody is anxious for a cut.

 

Entire industry

 

The going rate for ransom payments is between $300,000 and $1.5m (£168,000-£838,000).

 

A recent visitor to the town explained how, even though the number of pirates who actually take part in a hijacking is relatively small, the whole modern industry of piracy involves many more people.

 

 

"The number of people who make the first attack is small, normally from seven to 10," he said.

 

"They go out in powerful speedboats armed with heavy weapons. But once they seize the ship, about 50 pirates stay on board the vessel. And about 50 more wait on shore in case anything goes wrong."

 

Given all the other people involved in the piracy industry, including those who feed the hostages, it has become a mainstay of the Puntland economy.

 

Eyl has become a town tailor-made for pirates - and their hostages.

 

Special restaurants have even been set up to prepare food for the crews of the hijacked ships.

 

As the pirates want ransom payments, they try to look after their hostages.

 

When commandos from France freed two French sailors seized by pirates off the Somali coast this week, President Nicolas Sarkozy said he had given the go-ahead for the operation when it was clear the pirates were headed for Eyl - it would have been too dangerous to try to free them from there.

 

The town is a safe-haven where very little is done to stop the pirates - leading to the suggestion that some, at least, in the Puntland administration and beyond have links with them.

 

Many of them come from the same clan - the Majarteen clan of the president of Somalia's transitional federal government, Abdullahi Yusuf.

 

Money to spend

 

The coastal region of Puntland is booming.

 

Fancy houses are being built, expensive cars are being bought - all of this in a country that has not had a functioning central government for nearly 20 years.

 

Observers say pirates made about $30m from ransom payments last year - far more than the annual budget of Puntland, which is about $20m.

 

 

When the president of Puntland, Adde Musa, was asked about the reported wealth of pirates and their associates, he said: "It's more than true".

 

Now that they are making so much money, these 21st Century pirates can afford increasingly sophisticated weapons and speedboats.

 

This means that unless more is done to stop them, they will continue to plunder the busy shipping lanes through the Gulf of Aden.

 

They even target ships carrying aid to feed their compatriots - up to a third of the population.

 

Warships from France, Canada and Malaysia, among others, now patrol the Somali coast to try and fend off pirate attacks.

 

An official at the International Maritime Organisation explained how the well-armed pirates are becoming increasingly bold.

 

More than 30% of the world's oil is transported through the Gulf of Aden, and even though the pirates lack the means to hijack huge tankers, there are reports that they have fired at them.

 

"It is only a matter of time before something horrible happens," said the official.

 

"If the pirates strike a hole in the tanker, and there's an oil spill, there could be a huge environmental disaster".

 

It is likely that piracy will continue to be a problem off the coast of Somalia as long as the violence and chaos continues on land.

 

Conflict can be very good for certain types of business, and piracy is certainly one of them.

 

Weapons are easy to obtain and there is no functioning authority to stop them, either on land or at sea.

 

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7623329.stm

 

Published: 2008/09/18 15:10:52 GMT