Military Solution in the MV FAINA Piracy Crisis Heralds Overall Aggravation
Dr. Muhammad Shamsaddin Megalommatis
October 14, 2008
There are several signs indicating that a military solution will be applied, as the Russian missile frigate Neustrashimy left Tripoli and is on the way to Somalia. The UN Security Council Resolution 1838 demonstrates that Russia and China still remain political dwarfs with little historical – political knowledge of their apparent rivals, Colonial Europe (France and England) and America.
Expanding further on this seminal issue in forthcoming articles, I will analyze what remote fears are behind this erratic UN Security Council Resolution of which only Italy, holding a strong, reasonable, humane and humanitarian position, detached itself to some extent. Furthermore, I will shed light on the overall crisis aggravation that is to be expected in case of final military stand-off of the International Community.
It is essential to note that the only diplomat with correct and deep background on the Somali Crisis, the Italian Ambassador at the UN, reflecting more than a century of unbiased experience in the Horn of Africa region, "joined other members in welcoming the resolution, expressing hope that it would spur new action to fight piracy for the benefit of Somalia and the entire international community. He also underlined the need, however, for the Council to address the entire crisis in Somalia with urgency".
Here, I publish the two most recent updates of the Ecoterra Press Release, and an enlightening editorial from Garowe Online, the main portal of Puntland, the semi-autonomous area of Somalia where lies Hobyo (Obbia), the crisis epicenter.
Day 19 - 435 h into the MV FAINA Crisis - Update Summary
Ecoterra Intl. - Stay Calm & Solve it Now Direct & Fast!
Ecoterra International - Press Release on the Stand-off Concerning the Ukrainian Weapons-ship Hi-jacked by Somali Pirates.
19th update 2008-10-13 17:12:41 UTC
New EA Seafarers Assistance Programme Emergency Helpline : +254-738-497979
The stand-off concerning MV FAINA is still not yet solved. Observers fear that the vessel might soon run out of fuel for the generators, which produce electricity and thereby could loose main-engine-start, communication, navigation, lights, pumps, air-conditioning, the freshwater and toilet systems, essential units of the kitchen and the cool-room, where also the body of the deceased captain of the ship is kept.
Either we receive our money by tomorrow, or never,'' Sugule Ali, a spokesman for the pirates, said by satellite phone, in comments posted on 13th October at the Web Site of Russian state broadcaster Vesti-24. He ``gave it to be understood'' that the ship, the FAINA, could be sunk tonight or tomorrow, Vesti said. Other sources, however, dispute that "spokesman Sugule Ali" really would speak for the Somali commander under whose order the group holding MV FAINA operate.
Immediate communications to the group of the hostage takers in order to avert a disaster seem to have not fallen on deaf ears. A "Sugule Ali" later said to AP the pirates may extend the deadline following requests from the ship's owner and other unidentified people.
Family members of the 17 Ukrainians held hostage by Somali pirates for more than two weeks have gathered today on Monday outside the offices of the Ukrainian president. Around 20 relatives of the Ukrainians on board the hijacked MV FAINA said they would not leave until granted an audience with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. "We will not leave until we meet with the president," said Yelena Priskha, 41, as she stood outside Yushchenko's office. "We will sleep on the stairs and will collect the money ourselves." Her husband Olexandr is one of 20 crew on MV FAINA. Svetlana Mgeladze, 56, whose son Roland is on the FAINA, accused authorities of being more interested in the arms trade than in saving the lives of the crew. "They talk about their weapons here and I have a 22-year-old son there," she said.
A direct finalization of the negotiations between the real commander of the pirates with the Ukrainian side providing the ransom as well as safeguarding the release modalities is seen as the only peaceful solution left. Any further involvement of third parties can only cause further confusion and delay leading to an increased risk and an extremely dangerous situation.
The Russian missile frigate Neustrashimy left Tripoli and is on the way to Somalia, where it will ensure the safety of Russian vessels passing through the area against pirate attacks. Last week, Somali Ambassador to Russia Mohamed Handule said his country's president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed, had authorized Russia's military to fight pirates both off Somalia's coast and on land in co-ordination with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia.
The Transitional federal government of Somalia, however, believes that the recent statement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to send warships to Somali waters to fight piracy off its coast is a violation of its sovereignty, the general director of the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation ministry, Dr. Mohamed Jama Ali, said on Monday and stated: "We are not happy with NATO´s one-sided statement which shows that the military alliance does not recognize the transitional federal government of Somalia." The Somali government believes that NATO´s announcement will rather help illegal fishing in Somali waters, he told APA. "We believe that the entrance of Western ships in Somali waters is a double-standard. On one hand, they are engaged in a illegal fishing and on the other they are dumping nuclear waste in our waters," Mohamed Jama said.
Other News
According to a National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI) official, following their representation, the government of India has acted and has now dispatched a naval ship to the site of MT STOLT VALOR. "As any operation is ruled out, the very presence of the ship in the troubled waters would offer succour to the captive seafarers, who could be helped once the negotiations are over for their release," he said. It is believed that INS GODAVARI, the Indian Navy frigate under command of Cpt. R. Sarin, which recently had called on the port of Mombasa, has now received orders to assist with the release of the hi-jacked tanker.
Somali pirates are looking to hijack more vessels in the Gulf of Aden to replace those they have released after ransoms were paid.
The Puntland security group's unsuccessful attack against the captors of MV Al-Weil (Somali/Panama flag) has sparked numerous fire-fights between rival groups in Puntland, specifically around Eyl.
HMS Northumberland is set to sail in the fight against the growing threat of piracy the lawless waters off East Africa. The warship is ready to lead an international taskforce to the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia. The British Government has offered to send the Type 23 frigate to lead the European Union force to secure the safety of ships traveling to and from the strategically important Suez Canal and the Far and Middle East.
Day 20 - 452 h into the MV FAINA Crisis - Update Summary
Ecoterra Intl. - Stay Calm & Solve it Now Direct & Fast!
Ecoterra International - Press Release on the Stand-off Concerning the Ukrainian Weapons-ship Hi-jacked by Somali Pirates.
20th update 2008-10-14 13:32:28 UTC
New EA Seafarers Assistance Programme Emergency Helpline : +254-738-497979
The stand-off concerning MV FAINA is still not yet solved and the situation has become more critical with further complications in the negotiations. However, the U.S. Navy says the captors have not followed through with their threat to blow up the arms-laden ship and other sources confirmed that the captors are willing to further negotiate. Observers fear that the vessel has run out of fuel for the generators but an operation to refuel is underway.
The crew members' relatives tried but so far failed to meet with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko in Kiev over the ransom demand, which began at 35 million US$ and has since appeared to drop to below 10 million. They vowed not to leave the president's office.
Kenya will not give in to ransom demands, Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang´ula said on Monday during a reception at the Spanish Ambassador's residence in Nairobi and declared that Kenya would not pay the $10 million ransom the hijackers are reported to have agreed on. Somali Ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali Nur (nicknamed "Ali America") and the minister ruled out chances of the pirates blowing the ship up.
However, risk analysts raised their eye-brows upon such "insurances" and stated that neither scenario could be ruled out so easily, which either would take the possibility into consideration that meanwhile suicidal jihad fighters could have been brought on board together with the enforcement of the pirates or would evaluate the likelihood that a torpedo or a clandestine commando attack by outside forces could blow up the vessel to "sink the problem", which causes so much governmental embarrassment and diplomatic rows. "In both cases the pirates would anyway be blamed by the world" and "Also the suicide attack against the USS Cole at the coast of Yemen should not be forgotten", one analyst reminded, where two suicide bombers detonated their explosives-packed boat next to the U.S. warship as it re-fuelled on 12th October 2000 in Aden harbour at Yemen's southern tip, killing 17 U.S. sailors, wounding 39 and causing a repair damage of over 150 million US $, not including the only 8 million dollar compensation the families of the dead soldiers still are waiting for. On March 14, 2007, a federal judge in the United States ruled that the Sudanese government (Khartoum) was liable for the bombing. Sudan's hand is felt in the case of the FAINA now also inside Somalia already.
Sudan's Foreign Ministry summoned diplomats from neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya to protest their alleged involvement in passing weapons on to semi-autonomous southern Sudan. Khartoum's official news agency (SUNA) reports that the ministry complained to the Ethiopian ambassador about an Ethiopian plane carrying light arms that arrived Friday in the southern Sudanese capital of Juba and SUNA also reported it had obtained a manifesto concerning a shipment of battle tanks from Ukraine showing the weapons were ultimately destined for southern Sudan via Kenya.
The Islamic Courts Union of Somalia (ICU) has declared war against western warships in Somali waters accusing them of wanting to re-colonize and spread Christianity in Somalia, ICU spokesperson Abdirahiim Isse Addow stated. Speaking during an interview with African Press Agency (APA), the ICU spokesperson said the US and other western warships, including NATO, are helping the deployment of what he called "Christian soldiers into Somalia and their aim is to re-colonize Somalia."
Meanwhile Prof. Abdulgafur H.S. EL-BUSAIDY, SUPKEM (Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims) chairman and outstanding scolar, as well as many Somali religious leaders warned that the MV FAINA must not be exploded by any side and said it would be an outrageous crime and a big sin (Xaram / Haram) since the destruction of life is not permissible and the consequences for all life forms would be horrible in this case.
Other News
Reports from confidential sources in Puntland insisted that the government's claim of killing two pirates on Monday during an unsuccessful raid on the Somalia-bound ship MV Wael-H (alias Al-Wail or Weil), owned by a Syrian company was "untrue." Sources privy to the affair stated that no pirates were killed during the failed military operation and say that the ship's raiders were not Puntland soldiers as government officials claimed but were "mercenaries" hired by Somali merchants. However, according to deputy security minister Abdi Dorshe, Puntland forces managed on Tuesday morning to regain command of the ship and captured 10 pirates, killed 3 and injured 2 others. "One of our soldiers died while three were injured today," he added. The vessel is said to be now on the way to Bosasso, where Barwaqo company - the owner of the cargo consisting of 60,000 bags of cement from Oman weighing around 3,000 tonnes - has a base.
Editorial: The Macho Reaction to Piracy and the Massacre in Mogadishu
http://www.garoweonline.com/artman2/publish/Somalia_27/Editorial_The_macho_reaction_to_piracy_and_the_massacre_in_Somalia_capital.shtml
Sunday Editorial - In today's world of injustice and arrogance, it seems money is more valuable than human life.
It is two stories in one, intricately interwoven at the root and takes place on the world stage. The setting is a familiar name: Somalia…that impoverished East African country from the Hollywood hit "Black Hawk Down." Both stories are agonizingly thrilling and begin and end with lawlessness
As insurgents began capturing major towns on ground, pirates doubled their attacks on merchant ships at sea. The international community was beset with loud voices calling for immediate anti-piracy action, at the UN-level. The French government took lead in introducing a UN resolution to combat Somalia´s pirates.
But even before the passing of any resolutions, French commandos attacked the pirates in April and September this year, killing at least two suspected pirates and while arresting a total of 12 other suspects. The suspects are facing charges in a French court. Certainly, the French government's actions have been welcomed in international circles as the correct move against pirate gangs who have profited from millions in ransom cash this year. But in other circles, silent questions linger as to France's legitimacy to grab Somali citizens from Somali soil.
Ah, the excruciating pains of lawlessness! After nearly 18 years of conflict, Somalia has literally disappeared from the international diplomatic scene as a functioning government that protects its own citizens – both at home and aboard. The numbers from Somalia are unbearably sorrowful: since December 2006, when the Ethiopian army invaded the country, at least 9,500 civilians have been killed in conflict, 860,000 civilians displaced by the war, while nearly 3 million people are in need of food assistance.
Where is the macho reaction to the suffering of the Somali masses? Who speaks for the faceless thousands stuck between Ethiopian tanks and insurgent mortars? Where are the UN resolutions demanding an international political and military effort to end one of Africa's longest-running conflicts ever?
When hungry gangs of young men storm foreign ships and demand ransom, the reaction is quick and effective, because millions of dollars are at stake. But the suffering civilians deserve lip-service and the occasional Canadian warship helping deliver food aid. In today's world of injustice and arrogance, it seems money is more valuable than human life.
Of the two stories – the tragedy of war and the pirate attacks – international attention and condemnation is focused on the wrong target. Piracy is a byproduct of lawlessness, not the other way around. And it is a lawlessness that many countries in the West and the Middle East are happy to watch continue in Somalia, by supporting rival factions who have no national vision or goals to save Somalis from the present quagmire. Finding a lasting political solution on the ground is an effective tool against piracy, but militarizing the pirate problem will be counterproductive and dangerous.
And for the Somalis themselves, the day's gruesome reality must be faced with self-observation and determined insight. We have literally reduced ourselves into nonexistence. Somali citizens are getting butchered in South Africa. Other Somalis fleeing war and poverty are dying of thirst in the Libyan Desert or drowning in the Gulf of Aden. And even those "lucky" Somalis who made it to the West are facing legal and cultural problems, and the challenge of raising Muslim children in an atheistic world fuelled by the capitalist drive to satisfy a boundless appetite.
There is nothing better than home, better than Somalia. The clan politicians we love to admire are no prophets – unless, of course, they are the prophets of self-destruction. These men are responsible for Somali boys joining armed gangs, by sea or on land. These men destroyed the young generation's rights to an education; these criminal leaders' worst fear is an educated public, so they keep Somalis in the dark by using foreign elements whose shadowy agendas remain in public view.
The blind search for "clan interests" have catapulted Somalia into the era of foreign occupation and brought our proud, resilient people to a level unimagined in history. As Somalis, we can no longer afford to wait for the world to react. We must react on our own – against warlords and terrorists, against Ethiopian troops and Arab financers. We must react to save Somalia. If not today, tomorrow is already too late.
Garowe Online Editorial, editorial@garoweonline.com
Note
Picture: Being hawkish against the Somali pirates is relevant to ignorance, imprudence and bias.