P I R A T E S T A N : Firsthand information of Puntland's Pirates from the locals

Piratestan

Biyokulule Online

Part 1

April 01, 2009

Since its inception in 1998, Puntland chain of command offer little hope for good governance. Our concept of, and commitment to good governance, which Puntland needs desperately, should now be apparent to all – and that is, if and only if Puntlanders want to free themselves from the curse of piracy, poverty, and lack of security. Biyokulule Online´s previous literature expounded on relations between piracy and Puntland´s top chain of command, and even provided reliable sources in this connection. Good governance works, and the failure to do so by our leaders led us to the chaos we are in; presently, Puntland shows a family fiefdom ruled more and more by one sub-clan and now pointed in one direction – pirate foothold.

In Somalia, privateers and sea scavengers have, of course, always existed. At times, it was an honored occupation that only skilled seafarers were allowed to do it. To recall oral history, the earliest sea scavengers in what is now known as Puntland region, sprang from swooping down on unsuspected sailing boats as well as shipwrecked sailors.

It was in the beginning of 19th century when Cape Guardafui area became known as the richest and wickedest area in Somalia. Guardafui (which literally means "see and run from it") was and still is infamous in Somalia for its powerful monsoon storms and swirling sea waves, which have been responsible for the loss of thousands of lives and sailing boats. It was a safe haven for the sea scavengers and pirates. No more suitable location in Somalia for carrying pirate operations could have been found than Cape Guardafui. Within a very short period of time, numerous bustling coastal settlements sprang up near the Cape, with several thousands of people.

These remarkable pirate colonies thrived from the riches plundered by the sea scavengers. As long as these sea scavengers enjoyed the support of clan elders, all went well. Some of the scavengers have even ruled these pirate settlements as chiefs and clan-leaders and continued to carry on their scavenging business.

Alarmed at the level of pillaging going on around the Cape, historian Wayne Durrill unveils a 40-page letter written by an American expeditionist, Charles Graves, some time in 1878. In his letter, Graves described how sea scavengers preyed on shipwrecks and how the scourge of Cape Guardafui was made sacrosanct. He wrote:

So important did shipwrecks become to the sultanate that in 1878 an American visitor among the Majeerteen reported: "A priest is stationed in the mountains near Cape Guardafui who prays day and night that God will drive Christian vessels ashore that they may plunder them! This was told me by the Chief of Hunda [Hurdia?] who regarded it as a very prudent, proper and pious precaution—he thinking I was a Moslem."

Oral history could have thrown more light on the manners and customs of these 19th century pirates and the troubles of their victims; however, it is beyond the scope of this article to examine it fully.

Such details of ancient piracy seem as if it affected the mentality of today´s Puntland Administration. Michael Weinstein, a Somali expert and professor of political science at Purdue University in the United States, said that "The Puntland regime, which had been seen as relatively stable, has basically crumbled … The administration there is honeycombed with officials with links to the pirates." With its corrupted administrators, Puntland has became safe havens for sea pirates who use deadly weapons and speedboats to ambush all kinds of ships that navigate within and off Somali territorial waters. These pirates chose small town ports like Eyl and Garacad as a base to organize pirate attacks.

Biyokulule Online would like to know more about who first financed these modern pirates. This is in fact a pertinent question that needs to be answered. We noted that several groups, from inside and abroad, finance and organize pirate operations. According to Andrew Mwangura of the Kenyan branch of the Seafarer´s Assistance Programme, "A foreign ship pays a warlord [or in the case of Puntland, high ranking officials] to be allowed to fish illegally off Somalia, and that money then funds the piracy". [Read Here] In this process, hundreds, if not thousands, of people have been hurt or exploited, including the crew of those ships that have been hijacked.

The information collected by Biyokulule Online from various local sources reveal that once impoverished village in Garowe, Waaberi, has became safe havens for pirates and their agents. Sources also disclose that Puntland authorities in Garowe are not willing to crack down Waaberi village, to force pirates to close their operative dwellings.

In the wake of such safe havens, sources also reveal that there is an actual coordination between Khat-peddlers and pirate operators in Puntland. Local sources, however, did not reveal whether khat-peddlers are among those who are financing pirate business. On the contrary, it is the pirate kingpins who are using khat trading as a front business (in addition to businesses like hotels, restaurants etc.) to cover up their financial activities. They are also using Puntland officials and giving them money generously during elections.

The top brass of Puntland leadership seem now to be bought off by the kingpins running the booming pirate business. A researcher at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, Roger Middleton, said that "Top Puntland officials benefit from piracy, even if they might not be instigating it … All significant political actors in Somalia are likely benefiting from piracy". Thus, the above analysis suggests that the opportune quality of the punitive action against piracy should come from outside source – i.e. the International Community.

In Garacad, a small town in Puntland, pirates once persuaded locals to offer their services in exchange of money, and "each villager was promised 50 dollars". It took not that long when "70 villagers turned up to offer their services for guarding the boat and its crew". [Read Here]. Thus, poor people from such places have full expectations that they would soon become as wealthy as these pirates; and of course, there is a considerable joy among people in other parts of Puntland, such as Garowe and Eyl. Their happiness was borne out of the expectation that this artificial pirate economy could transform Puntland into the great days of Piratestan.

To cite another example, poor young girls from rural area, who have left their homes, are now being exploited in places like Garowe and Eyl. These girls are crazy about these "wealthy pirates who have attained near-celebrity status". A 19-year old girl, Rodo Abdullahi said, "It was every local girl´s dream to have such a grand wedding, but she said only pirates now had the funds to do it". [Read Here]

Before these pirates emerged forcefully in coastal towns like Eyl, the main occupation of the people was fishing. Consequently, many successful pirates came up with the specific dubious claim of protecting Somali fishing industry. Another reason that pirates use as a justification to hijack is "the illegal dumping of toxic waste – a well-documented practice which is having severely adverse consequence for environment". [Read Here]

Pirates expected that people will be on their side - i.e. that they will win people's hearts because they have justifications that can´t be rejected. However, people cannot be fooled endlessly or live on promises only. After we have seen the glistening promises and the social problems that stems from piracy, people´s stance should be unified in rejecting piracy practices.

We are agonized over the highway seas robberies and ask what Puntland president and their administration doing. We are disturbed over the fact that pirates commit crimes but cannot be arrested, and if they are apprehended, they escape punishment. [Read Yassin Dheere´s story]. There is a need for ground-breaking changes in Puntland security departments. In their present shape, agencies such as Puntland Intelligence Service (PIS) and Puntland Darawish forces cannot do good job and appear to be increasingly dysfunctional to the limit of laying them off. These security forces failed to coordinate, organize, and exchange information and adopt a unified stance against piracy. They also were unable to punish/extradite pirates, prohibit the sheltering of them, and block channels financing them. Criticisms over these security forces´ inefficiency in combating piracy have in the past been publicly voiced by the International Community as well as locals.

Piratestan Leadership:

It is, it is a glorious thing. To be a Pirate King – W.S. Gilbert, 1879

The illusion of a clan-political kingdom from which good governance will flow forth has taken hold of the Puntland Constitution in a disturbing way. Only the so-called House Members/National Assembly (66 members from different clans) has so far the right to select Puntland president. Like his predecessor, the new Puntland leader, Abdurahman Mohamed Farole, won the majority of the 66 MPs´ votes by probably using pirate treasury as a personal bank.

What were they (MPs) thinking when they selected Farole? We know that the task of Member of parliaments require good political judgment and wisdom. Were they preoccupied with the philosophy of: select the pirate that will end pirates/piracy? Or did they believe that Puntland must be made safe for Pirates – i.e. transform it into Piratestan? I think the MPs and pirates both come from the same basket!

Nevertheless, this switch at the helm with Mohamud Hirsi Muse (Adde Muse) handing power to his kin Farole is not the change that Puntlanders hoped for. For those who were clamouring for "change", last January´s power transfer of power from "pirate-cadet" figure to "pirate-captain" figure stinks of nepotism/sub-clanism.

Without a doubt, many of those in Farole´s Reer Jarafle inner circle who had sought to die for their long-time pirate leader are now satisfied. Ironically, however, hours after Abdurahman Mohamed Farole won Puntland presidency, he said, "I will eliminate the piracy … and will deal with the security". What did he really meant by saying that? Is he implying the old adage: little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape? In any case, no one in his/her right mind can be so naïve to think that Farole was serious about what he has said during what traditionally is considered as "honeymoon" period. And to provide a case in point: after barely three months down the road, what is already clear is that all the talk of anti-piracy, accountability, and good governance has remained just talk. What is happening in practice is far from his "saving Puntland" mission in which Puntlanders had hopes of from their leadership. Farole has yet to visit the pirate capital of Puntland, Eyl; and both his goodwill and hopes to tackle piracy (his campaign promises) seem to be evaporating in the thin air.

It is tempting to be both a president and a pirate at the same time. In principle however, in Piratestan, this is not difficult to imagine; and Farole is possibly not the first Puntland leader who has managed, to a certain degree, to achieve this role or the first leader to abuse the official position of "Puntland President".

It is not likely that the swapping captains in a fast-sinking pirate ship will help overcome Puntland´s political stalemate. This means that the increasing one sub-clan hegemony against which Biyokulule Online has warned on several occasions is extended. The Omni-present sub-clan (as we all Puntlanders know) became the supreme determiner of the fate of the many-clans that live in Puntland. And since it continues to be so, this means the triumph of Piratestan, a sort of political madness that we are in – a situation in which only pirates know better about what is good for Puntlanders over whom they hijacked.

Clearly, January´s cosmetic change is not good enough. What Puntlanders want is a new ship to navigate and a non-pirate captain that could chart a different course. We are warning that Puntland´s relative stability will not last that long if no fast and correct political steps are taken according to Puntlanders´ aspirations. But by seeking to go against the people´s aspirations with this year´s cosmetic changes, Farole and his inner circle have signed their death warrant.

Stressing that sea piracy is an international phenomenon not confined to Somali territorial sea; we urge the pooling of international efforts to tackle the curse of piracy. We remind the World Community that the only language that Piratestan leaders understand is hitting their treasure – pirate pockets. We urge the World Community to spare no one in this farcical pirate fantasy and target those officials who only care their pockets, while hastening the ruin of an entire region of Somalia, Puntland.

The recent UN report (released March 18, 2009), which was prepared through the joint efforts of Member States, the European Union (EU), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), is intended to take a serious look at the possibility of collaboration between pirates and high ranking officials in Puntland Regional Government. The report also draws attention to possible approaches to fighting piracy and suggests ways to earmark uniting the Member States, forces of the civil society, and regional organizations to counter piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia. [Read UN Report].

In keeping with the intention of UN report, Biyokulule Online attempts to provide a possible anti-piracy campaign, that is, to give the report a practical mouthpiece. To jump start this "mouthpiece" role through zooming into news coverage is not an easy task and in fact calls for making tough journalistic decisions. Faced with a situation where there are hundreds of clan-based media outlets (i.e. websites) that are a sort of tabloid sites, we will need tsunami efforts to push these obstacles aside.

Therefore, once again, Biyokulule Online brings together excerpts of news articles that relate to the transformation of Puntland Regional Government into Piratestan fiefdom. The diversity of the news coverage and the quality of news sources ensure that this Piratestan series will have a lasting impact on our readers. The theme that runs through this series is, of course, the emergence of sea piracy in Puntland, largely due to lack of an effective regional administration. The series aims for readers who need a summarizing sketch of Piratestan`s evolution. This in-depth zooming shows the importance of the agenda of truth-finding approach. The series also offer its readers to focus and examine it again and again, in order to help them develop newer, more inclusive scrutiny to the underworld of Puntland´s privateers. We hope that our selections will give you a well-rounded view from different angles.

Note: Piratestan means Land of the Pirates = Illegitimate Puntland

Sources: www.biyokulule.com

Picture: Amir Arts

Compiled by Abdulaziz Al-Mutairi

email: az.almutairi@yahoo.com