Puntland's Press Release Regarding The Piracy Report

[Dr_Osman]

A so-called research document, entitled “Treasure Mapped: Using Satellite Imagery to Track the Developmental Effects of Somali Piracy,” was published by UK-based Chattam House think-tank, in January 2012.

 

This document, which was supposed to be research funded by a UK university and the European Union, among other donors, eventually produced an unprofessional, highly prejudiced and defamatory document with the sole aim of unfairly targeting the reputation of Puntland State of Somalia and the Government’s counter-piracy efforts.

 

In studying this document, it becomes evident that the authors who prepared the research lack knowledge about Somalia’s culture, history and current affairs, and in particular Puntland State of Somalia.

 

It is common knowledge that the Government of Puntland has undertaken massive steps against pirates and the Government’s robust anti-piracy campaign is the most intense in Somalia. Puntland security forces have apprehended hundreds of pirates who are currently in Puntland prisons, including notorious pirate kingpins.

 

The researcher’s flawed assertion about urban growth in Puntland State is an insult to the ingenuity, creativity, entrepreneurship, determination, and vision of the people of Puntland – including Puntland Diaspora communities. In reading this research, the reader comes out feeling that everything in Puntland – all the houses, vehicles, communications equipment, hotels – belong to pirates, whom the researcher absurdly argues “provide stability” and “help other entrepreneurs to trade more easily” (Page 7). Who on earth with a common sense could unashamedly state that criminals, such as pirates, produce stability and help trade in a country?

 

It seems the researcher’s romanticized version of pirates does not only insult the people of Puntland and readers with common sense – it adds insult to injury for the innocent seafarers released or those still being held in captivity by pirates, and for the ship-owners, and for international forces spending time and effort to fight piracy along Somalia’s shores in recent years.

 

Finally, Puntland Government shall pursue disciplinary action by Brunel University against the lecturer who produced a politically motivated and biased research with a heavy influence by a Somali political group with a particular agenda against Puntland State. The researcher’s lack of neutrality, objectivity and professionalism has produced research that damages the university’s image and profile.

 

Ministry of Maritime Transport, Ports and Counter-Piracy

Government of Puntland, Somalia

E-mail: ministry.mtpcp@gmail.com

Web: www.puntland-gov.net

[Dr_Osman]

Anja Shortland is destroying her career by aligning with certain political factions in Somalia to create anti-puntland reports. Is it worth your career Anja? well you will find out sooner or later and you will be made out of an example to any future person who tries to create a report that has no facts supporting it.

 

We can provide each and every owner house and their background that you claim is owned by pirates. Over a 10 year period you expect cities not to grow? Especially when their peace, education, health, and governance? of course it will grow with not only locals selling their livestocks and moving into town and the diaspora communities investing into the region. Your little love-affair with somaliland is up to you but to take it to a political level will not only jepordise your career but also the university you represent. U will hear from our lawyers very soon

[Samafal]

She has done a lazy research and this should be made known to her

[Dr_Osman]

Somalia: Chatham House Piracy Study Criticised

 

A new report on Somali piracy published by Chatham House argues, among other things, that piracy benefits bigger coastal towns than smaller ones such as Eyl and Hobyo. Dr Anja Shortland, a lecturer at Brunel University, used data from satellite imagery “ to track the developmental effects of piracy”. Dr Shortland says ”a negotiated solution to the piracy problem” will bear fruit if communities that rely on piracy are given “a more attractive alternative that brings them far greater benefits than hosting pirates does.”

 

While it is true that availability of accurate data on the percentage of pirate money ( ransom) spent in Somalia is hard to find, there is a plenty of data to determine if a booming economy of town is caused by pirate money or not. Dr Shortland takes into account “ significant weaknesses in the “data sources” on which her conclusions are based.

 

This essay discusses gaps in Dr Shortland’s analysis. Those gaps affect the implementability and accuracy of recommendations.

 

Nominal Wages

 

In discussing nominal wages of four regions ( Mudug, Nuga[a]l, Bari and Banaadir), the author of the study writes: “In the three pirate regions nominal wages have more than doubled since 2006, while in the Banaadir region nominal wages in 2010 were roughly equivalent to their 2006 levels.” The decline in the daily wage rate for causal labour in Mogadishu is accounted for by a major trend that make the region in which the capital located the inappropriate ‘comparator’ . Between December 2006 ( when Ethiopia intervened in Somalia to back up the Transitional Federal Government ‘(hereafter TFG’) and late 2011 (when Al Shabab militant group foot-soldiers were forced to flee Mogadishu) , people in the capital were affected by insurgency against the TFG, and this affected the economic activities in the capital and caused many people to become internally displaced people in places like Puntland ( figure 1 page 6).

 

Piracy money and Somali exchange rate

 

According to the author, livestock exports and pirate money affect Somali exchange rate ( although goats and camels are prized hard-currency earners) . “The Somali shilling (SSh) is not backed by a government and there is no monetary authority. Many transactions are conducted in US dollars, but the Somali shilling continues to be widely used,” writes Dr Shortland despite another effect on Somali exchange rate: money printed by the TFG and local administrations.

 

“ Night-time light emissions”

 

Using data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the author of the study argues that an increase in night-time light emissions reflect “ reconstruction after the civil war and diaspora remittances supporting consumption and development. After 2007 however, there appears to be a downturn in total light emissions in twelve of the fifteen cities. The exceptions are Garowe, Bosasso and Kismayo” but the author contradicts herself when she writes: “The Somali diaspora is likely to have contributed significantly to private investment in Garowe. However, mass emigration from Puntland is relatively recent and the Puntland diaspora is less able to contribute than the well-established Somaliland diaspora, which emigrated in the 1970s and 80s.” Emigration to the middle east in 1970s, and to Europe in late 1980s because of the civil war, was a common Somali experience. Neither the name Somaliland nor Puntland existed then: both administrations came into existence in1990s after the collapse of state in Somalia. Places like Garowe, the administrative capital of Puntland, grew partly because if the internally displaced people who fled southern Somalia and because of making the city the seat of Puntland administration.

 

Crack-down on pirates

 

Since January 2009 when Abdirahman Farole was elected Puntland presidency, a crack-down on piracy has produced commendable results. Eyl, which Dr Shortland calls “a pirate capital”, is no longer a pirate base. “The counter-piracy operations would not have been possible without local Support,” agrees Dr Shortland only to contradict herself when she observes: “Puntlanders are relatively better off than the rest of the country as a result of piracy; the poor are no better off in absolute terms.”

 

“When forces from Puntland, a semiautonomous region of northern Somalia, tried to free a Danish yachting couple, their three children ages 13 to 17 and two other adults in March, another group of pirates killed five of the soldiers,” wrote Alex Perry in a Summer Journey issue of Timemagazine.

 

Piracy remains a problem partly because of leniency of international naval forces fighting Somali pirates. Some pirates are released; some are brought to Bosaaso, Puntland, although the regional administration’s jails are already overflowing with pirates from different parts of Somalia; some pirates are sent neighbouring countries for trial.

 

Piracy is one of the troublesome trends associated with Somalia. One expects a discussion on such a topic is incomplete without discussing local administrations and what efforts they’re making to combat piracy. The report leads anyone with no knowledge of Somalia to conclude that Hobyo and Haradheere are parts of Puntland. Hobyo comes under Galmudug administration based in South Galka’yo. Haradheere is part of Mudug region but is under no administration . More research into the recent history of Somalia could have made the Chatham House report look less one-sided and more fact-based.

 

Liban Ahmad

 

libahm@gmail.com

[Dr_Osman]

She is real silly. She has no clue what Somalia is about and how its clan based. The last pirate hub in puntland was gara'ad and they were defeated just a couple of weeks ago. But I just can't get over how she thinks peace doesn't generate development. Garowe is the capital city of Puntland it hosts all the donor agencies, government headquarters, an IDP population, it has their own businesses and active diaspora investing into homes, hotels, businesses. With all those key-factors can she not see why Puntland would grow over the span of 10 years.

 

Her argument about somaliland diaspora being more established, she is crazy. The diaspora is full of people from Puntland even though most are since 91 war, but there is also a significant population who came in the 80's like myself who came to Australia then and I know lots of Puntland folks who did also. Even using her argument if Puntland diaspora came in 91 today thats 20 years to establish yourself.

 

She has no clue of how the dynamics are in Somalia and how majority of the business-men in dubai-zambia-kenya-tanzania-oman are all from puntland and if you go there for yourself to observe you will see. There is no region that is more entreprenuer then Puntland all somalis know thats and puntland has always had better living standard then the rest of Somalia mainly because the wealth of the nation from 60s till 91 is majority Puntland and you can ask any somali who invested the most in mogadishu in its hey-day they will tell you.

 

She is just brainwashed by somaliland political folks in london, she should go do her studies no matter how much u try to defend them nothing is going to change for them in Somalia as we all know each other and our capabilities. U can go ask person in mogadishu or bosaso and everyone will tell you the same thing the folks in hargeisa are small clan compared to the rest of us population, soldier, economy, education and all aspects except khat, music and women.

 

Thats what every somali regardless of tribe will tell you so there is truth to it but sitting in london thinking your report will change the reality on the ground I am sorry but u will be waiting forever because in Somalia we all know each other and what everyone is

[Jacaylbaro]

Bacaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaac ..... The same Pirate Admin shouldn't come up with criticism coz we all know the report is talking about them.

 

Weli nin tuug ah ma ku tidhi Tuug baad tahay ,,,, then see his replay

[Beer-Gaal]

I may not Agree with everything in the report , but the truth is, pirate's ransom money had a direct effect good & bad in Somalia's economy generally and Puntland in particular!! it doesn't matter if imam Faroole disputes with . Yes i was there in 2008 pirates peak days and I'm still around , I also happen to know people who are in the business , life has changed really pretty quickly for some , a lot of second Toyota land cruisers were bought by people who can't drive and new buildings were built by people who have never own one and would have never own if not with the pirate fortune, did i mention girls?! beautiful girls have immigrated from far away places from Djibouti, Hargaisa to Kigilka shanaad. A lot of locally made khamri was smuggled by greedy businessmen from Ethiopia. having said that , during this period, before and still there are honest Honorable Somali communities with in the country and from Diaspora have invested lots of hard earned $$ in many sectors and I believe credit for the development mentioned in the report should be given to those folks.

[Che -Guevara]

You have girls migrating from every corner of Somali-dam I need to be pirate then.

[Dr_Osman]

The lady who did the report is claiming since 2002 till 2009 all the development thats occurred in Garowe is associated with piracy. That claim is ludicurous, Like I said Puntland Govt should take her to court for defamation or get the university for her re-tract her report. Puntland should simply provide the owners of those areas she mentioned such as their names, time of purchase, payment method, and their background. That will refute her whole argument!!!

 

The Piracy fund are in nairobi and everyknows that, even the pirates themselves take their shares and invest in properties in nairobi!!! if Puntland did get the piracy funds in it's economy for 10 years it would look alot different then what it is today. She put her foot in the mouth and she should pay by losing her lecturing position or at very least or be reprimanded by her university to apologize and re-tract from her report!!! We will wait to see the arsenal Puntland comes out with it.