FindAfrica Blog

News of pirate activity off the East African coast, specifically off the Somali coast, has become commonplace. Most individuals who follow world news will be familiar with the numerous Somali pirate incidents, some high-profile, other not, which have from time to time dominated the airwaves. 

But pirate attacks are not limited to waters off the Somali coast. Indeed outside Africa, there are significant piracy problems in parts of Asia. But even within Africa, the problem of piracy extends beyond eastern Africa. 

Recently, the Ghanaian navy captured and returned a Nigerian oil tanker that had been hijacked off the Nigerian coast, near Lagos. According to the International Maritime Bureau, there were some 100 pirate attacks in West Africa last year. This is bad news for West Africa, and ultimately like Somali piracy, bad news for all of Africa. 

Countries in Africa must do everything within their powers to ensure that the growing piracy problem is arrested and ultimately eliminated as soon as possible. A significant piracy threat to commerce will make development on the continent nearly impossible because so much of global merchandise is transported by shipping. It is imperative that the piracy problem is attacked now while it is small. The last think Africa needs is another huge problem to add the big issues of governance, corruption, human rights, etc. The list is already too long. Let’s not add piracy to the list.

Somali Piracy: An Escalating Security Dilemma
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has grown exponentially in recent years. Only a unified stance by the international community that addresses a two-part strategy can facilitate the eradication of Somali piracy…. [read at Africa Policy Journal]

Through the Looking Glass: A Comparative Case Study Analyzing the Origins of Central Command and Africa Command
This article examines the impetus for the establishment of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in an effort to better understand how perceived threats to U.S. national security have evolved since the Cold War. The commands were created because new threats to American national security were inadequately addressed by the preexisting military organization…. [read at Africa Policy Journal]

Africa’s Urban Farmers
Across Africa, political leaders, long dismissive of rural concerns, have awakened to the importance of agriculture and the role that educated people, even those living in major cities, can play in farming. With prices for basic foodstuffs at their highest levels in decades, many urbanites feel well rewarded by farming…. [read at Project Syndicate]

Stabilizing the Horn
After almost two decades as a failed state torn by civil war, perhaps the world should begin to admit that Somalia — as it is currently constructed — is beyond repair. If so, the place to start is the northernmost region, Somaliland, situated strategically at the opening to the Red Sea and already more or less autonomous and stable….[read at Project Syndicate]

A Less-is-More Growth Strategy for Africa
If African countries were to adopt only one policy to boost economic growth and improve macroeconomic stability, they should reduce the number of currencies in circulation across the continent as quickly as possible. Currencies, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, are like democracies: the best way to preserve their integrity is to share them…. [read at Project Syndicate]

by: The Editor, November 17, 2005

In recent weeks, attacks on ships off the cost of Somalia have increased dramatically. Ships recently attached have included cruise ships, bulk carriers, cargo ships, and ships delivering United Nations food aid to impoverished Somalis. Pirates using heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and even handguns have attacked these ships, and when successful, held the ships’ kidnapped crew as hostages for ransom.

The situation off the coast of Somalia, a country with one of Africa’s longest coasts, is rapidly deteriorating. And the nascent government of President Abdullahi Yusuf has yet to establish sufficient control to rein in the pirates.

The pirates operating off the coast of Somalia represent a direct threat to Somalia’s future and the future of the sub-region. The food aid and trade delivered by many of the ships that are under attack by these pirates are needed by the impoverished and war ravaged country. The activities of these criminals, if continued unchecked, have the potential to discourage most ship operators from the waters of Somalia. This will have the disastrous effect of limiting already scares food supply and trade.

The activities of these pirates also represent a threat to the region. The pirates’ continued presence will adversely affect conditions in Somalia and slow any return to normalcy. This will, in turn, prevent Somalia from becoming a net contributor to the region and the world. By discouraging ships from traveling along the East African coast near Somalia, the region runs the risk of ships bypassing it entirely as the ship operators seek to avoid the pirates. Such tactics, if adopted by ship operators, will have significant financial repercussions for countries in the region.

These pirates must be stopped immediately.