COUNTER-PIRACY UPDATES
STATUS OF SEIZED VESSELS AND CREWS IN SOMALIA, THE GULF OF ADEN AND THE INDIAN OCEAN (ecoterra - 24. August 2011)
PROTECTING AND MONITORING LIFE, BIODIVERSITY AND THE ECOSYSTEM IN SOMALIA AND ITS SEAS SINCE 1986 - ECOTERRA Intl.
ECOTERRA Intl. and ECOP-marine serve concerning the counter-piracy issues as advocacy groups in their capacity as human rights, marine and maritime monitors as well as in co-operation with numerous other organizations, groups and individuals as information clearing-house. In difficult cases we have successfully served as mediators.
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STATUS-SUMMARY:
Today, 24. August 2011 at 23h45 UTC, at least 34 larger plus 18 smaller foreign vessels plus one stranded barge are kept in Somali hands against the will of their owners, while at least 594 hostages or captives - including a South-African yachting couple as well as a Danish yacht-family with three children and two friends - suffer to be released.But even EU NAVFOR, who mostly only counts high-value, often British insured vessels, admitted now that many dozens of vessels were sea-jacked despite their multi-million Euro efforts to protect shipping.
Having come under pressure, EU NAVFOR's operation ATALANTA felt now compelled to publish their updated piracy facts for those vessels, which EU NAVFOR admits had not been protected from pirates and were abducted. EU NAVFOR also admitted in February 2011 for the first time that actually a larger number of vessels and crews is held hostage than those listed on their file.
Since EU NAVFOR's inception at the end of 2008 the piracy off Somalia started in earnest and it has now completely escalated. Only knowledgeable analysts recognized the link.
Please see the situation map of the PIRACY COASTS OF SOMALIA (2011) and the CPU-ARCHIVE ECOTERRA members can also request the Somali Marine & Coastal Monitor for background info.
- see also HELD HOSTAGE BY PIRATES OFF SOMALIA
and don't forget that SOMALI PIRACY IS CUT-THROAT CAPITALISMWHAT THE NAVIES OFF SOMALIA NEVER SEE:
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/05/fighting_for_control_of_somali.html
What Foreign Soldiers in Somalia and even their Officers Never Seem to Realize:The Scramble For Somalia
PEACE KEEPERS OR BIOLOGICAL WARFARE AGENTS ?
SG Ban Ki-Moon (UN) and President Ram Baran Yadav (Nepal) should resign and take the responsibility for 4,500 Haitians having been killed by a Cholera strain introduced by unchecked, so-called UN Peace-Keepers from Nepal into Haiti.
LATEST:
STILL ALMOST 600 SEAFARERS ARE HELD HOSTAGE IN SOMALIA !
ECOTERRA Intl. has been the first group to clearly and publicly state that the piracy phenomenon off the Somali coasts can only become an issue of the past again, if tangible and sustainable, appropriate and holistic development for the coastal communities kicks in. Solutions to piracy have to tackle the root causes: Abhorrent poverty, environmental degradation, injustice, outside interference. While still billions are spend for the navies, for the general militarization or for mercenaries or conferences, still no real and financially substantial help is coming forward to pacify and develop the coastal areas of Somalia.
Updates on known cases of piracy - pls see also below this latest news in the status section.
CHEMICAL TANKER HIJACKED BY CONNING SOMALI PIRATES IN OMAN (ecop-marine)
MT FAIRCHEM BOGEY (IMO 9423750), a 2010 built Chemical/Oil Tanker of 25,390 dwt sailing under Marshall Islands flag was at anchor in the designated anchorage area of Salalah port at Oman in position 16 54 N and 054 03 E, awaiting berthing instructions when the hijackers managed at 01h50 UTC on 20. August 2010 to board the ship from a vessel that was ferrying a load of cattle .
The ship prior to reaching Salalah had discharged cargo at Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia and from Oman port and was to proceed towards China with a crew of 21 Indian seafarers on board, who are covered by an ITF agreement. The chem-tanker had armed guards on board, but had released them in Oman.
The tanker is owned by EURUS MARITIME SA of Singapore and its ISM Manager is ANGLO-EASTERN Shipmanagement (Singapore) Pte Ltd., while it is under direct management of Fair FAIRFIELD CHEMICAL CARRIERS of Wilton, USA. The brand new vessel is insured by Japan Ship Owners' P&I Association.
According to Anglo-Eastern Management officials, all crew members, "appear safe with no injuries."
Giving details about the hijacking, the shipping company officials disclosed that when Omani Coast Guard approached the vessel the pirates asked them to move away to avoid casualties to the crew.
Questions have been raised why a new chem-tanker would be sailing from Oman to China without a load, just in ballast and without guards.
After the attack the vessel was commandeered to Somalia has been taken towards the Somali coast.
It arrived meanwhile off Garacad at the north-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia, where it is anchored now.
CORRECTION: Due to an error in our database, several date-stamps for the year in which vessels were hijacked were unintentionally reflected as 2010 instead of 2011. Though it was obvious from the chronology in which we list the vessels, also the capture date of just released MV SININ was altered from February 12, 2011 to February 12, 2010. The correct statement is that the vessel and her crew were held hostage since February 12, 2011. Unfortunately this typo was then propagated. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
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U.S. court sentences two Somalis to life in prison over pirate attack (BNO NEWS)
A U.S. federal court has sentenced two Somalis to life in prison for their roles in the pirate attack against the American yacht S/V Quest, which resulted in the murder of four U.S. citizens, prosecutors said.
The suspects, who were identified as 30-year old Ali Abdi Mohamed and 31-year old Burhan Abdirahman Yusuf, previously pled guilty to piracy, which carries a mandatory life sentence.
"Piracy is a scourge that threatens nations, commerce, and individual lives," said Neil MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. "This is the first case where American lives have been lost due to Somali piracy, and as Somali pirates expand their territory, the risk of violence and harm to others continues to grow. Today's sentences send a message to all those who participate in piracy that armed attacks on the high seas carry lifelong consequences."
According to court documents, Mohamed and Yusuf were among 19 Somalis who, after several days of sailing the sea in search of a vessel to pirate and hold for ransom, assaulted the Quest and held hostage its four passengers. However, they were overtaken by U.S. warships as they were sailing back to Somalia.
The U.S military offered to allow the pirates to take the vessel as long as they released the hostages but the conspirators refused the deal because they believed they would get little money just for the boat. A rocket propelled grenade (RPG) was then fired at the military warship and the hostages were shot at in an attempt to get the U.S. boats to retreat.
When the U.S. military personnel boarded the Quest, they took 15 individuals into custody, including a juvenile who has not been charged in this case. Four pirates were deceased, as well as the four hostages.
"The pirates' vain attempt to obtain ransom, after nine days at sea, ended in the death of four Americans. Today's life sentences will be heard throughout the pirate community - and should send a clear message - that the days of unbridled armed robbery and extortion at sea are over. The only plunder these pirates earned is life behind bars," said Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office Janice K. Fedarcyk.
On Thursday, 50-year old Mohammad Saaili Shibin was charged for his alleged role as a ransom negotiator in the attack on the Quest and a similar role in a separate attack on the M/V Marida Marguerite, a German-owned vessel with a crew of 22 men who were held hostage off the coast of Somalia from May to December 2010.
According to the indictment, Shibin successfully extracted a ransom payment for the release of Marida Marguerite and its crew from which he received a share of approximately $30,000 to $50,000.
Nine other co-conspirators have previously also pled guilty for the Quest hijacking and murders and will be sentenced in the coming weeks. Three men have already been charged with kidnapping, hostage-taking and murder of the four U.S. citizens onboard the American vessel. If convicted, they could face death penalties.
The two owners of the vessel the Quest were on an "around-the-world" trip that began in mid-December 2004 when they were hijacked. "This is planned to be an eight or ten year voyage," the website's homepage said at the time, which identified the owners as Scott Underwood Adam and Jean Savage Adam. Phyllis Patricia Macay and Robert Campbell Riggle were the other victims.
Somali Pirates Get Life Sentence Over Hijacking By Caitlin Bronson (ThirdAge)
Somali said to be S/V Quest negotiator indicted in further piracy case (MarineLog) Mohammad Saaili Shibin, accused of being the negotiator for the ransom of four U.S. citizens held hostage on the high seas aboard the yacht S/V Quest has been indicted for his alleged role in successfully extracting a ransom for a separate vessel and 22 hostages held by Somali pirates.
Mr. Shibin has been in federal custody since being brought to the U.S. following his arrest in Somalia in April.
Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Janice K. Fedarcyk, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office; and Alex J. Turner, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement of the further indictment.
"Mr. Shibin is alleged to be among the select few who are entrusted with one of the most important tasks in Somali piracy – ensuring a ship's owners pay the maximum amount of ransom possible for the release of a hijacked vessel," said U.S. Attorney MacBride. "The ransom paid for the Marida Marguerite capped a year where authorities estimate pirates received more than $100 million in ransom payments. The role he's accused of fulfilling for pirates on the Marida Marguerite is the same role he allegedly intended to fill for the Quest. This case is aimed at the heart of the piracy business, striking at the small group of men who make receiving millions from piracy a reality."
"During the seven month ordeal, Mr. Shibin allegedly successfully negotiated a large ransom for the release of twenty-two crew abroad the Marida Marguerite," said FBI ADIC Fedarcyk. "The negotiator has the most important job in the piracy business, extorting the most money possible for the ship and crew. As pirates operate during this period of instability in Somalia, the FBI will continue to apprehend all those involved, from Puntland villages to the Arabian Sea."
Mohammad Saaili Shibin, a/k/a "Khalif Ahmed Shibin," a/k/a "Shibin," 50, of Somalia, was indicted on March 8, 2011, by a federal grand jury in Newport News, Va., in association with the alleged pirating of an American yacht, the S/V Quest, and taking hostage four U.S. citizens, who were ultimately killed before their release could be secured.
Today, Shibin was charged in a 15-count superseding indictment accusing him of serving as the ransom negotiator for conspirators who pirated the M/V Marida Marguerite, a German-owned vessel with a crew of 22 men who were held hostage off the coast of Somalia from May to December 2010. According to the indictment, Shibin spoke with the owners of the Marida Marguerite and successfully extracted a ransom payment for the vessel and its crew. The indictment states that Shibin received approximately $30,000 to $50,000 in U.S. currency as his share of the ransom payment.
Shibin was also charged with additional counts related to the attack on the Quest. A full list of the charges included in the superseding indictment and their penalties are provided below:
- Two counts of piracy under the law of nations, which each carry a mandatory penalty of life in prison.
- Two counts of conspiracy to commit hostage taking, which each carry a penalty of up to life in prison.
- Two counts of hostage taking, which each carry a penalty of up to life in prison.
- Two counts of conspiracy to commit violence against maritime navigation, which each carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
- Two counts of violence against maritime navigation, which each carry a mandatory penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
- Conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
- Kidnapping, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
- Three counts of use, carry, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, the first count of which carries a mandatory minimum 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, and the latter two counts of which carry mandatory consecutive life sentences.
This investigation was conducted by the FBI's New York Field Office and Norfolk Field Office, with assistance from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. In addition, U.S. Attorney MacBride expressed his appreciation for the close coordination and cooperation of German judicial and police authorities in building the latest charges involving the Marida Marguerite.
The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin L. Hatch, Joseph E. DePadilla, and Brian J. Samuels from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Paul Casey of the Counterterrorism Section in the Justice Department's National Security Division.
Somali pirate-LeT tie-up is BIG threat for India By Vicky Nanjappa (Rediff)
The coming together of Lashkar-e-Tayiba and southern Somalia-based Al-Shahbab poses new maritime protection issues for India.
The interrogation of several pirates who have been nabbed in Indian waters has revealed that the Somalis have been sponsored directly by the deadly Islamic terrorist group Al-Shahbab.
Intelligence sources told rediff.com that the Al-Shahbab group has links with the Al Qaeda and carries out the latter's operations. The cadres of this group specialise more on sea and have been using the pirates for their operations.
The IB says that every one out of ten attacks is attributed to some terrorist group.
India has witnessed at least 200 attacks so far from pirates. The IB believes that the pirates may be collecting logistical data for terrorist groups. They also raise funds for terror outfits through hijacked vessels. The detail that has been most revealing during the interrogation of these pirates is that the Al-Shahbab group, which has been closely associated with the Al Qaeda, is now cozying up to the Lashkar-e-Tayiba, which is probably India's biggest headache.
Intelligence reports suggest that the Lashkar-Al-Shahbab association will look to carry out more attacks on Indian waters and one could witness plenty of hostage crisis' in the near future, if not acted upon.
An officer dealing with maritime security told rediff.com that it is extremely difficult to keep a tab on the entire ocean and that the need of the hour was to have maritime cooperation between countries.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his visit to Africa recently, addressed this concern to his counterparts, who assured him of all possible cooperation in this regard.
The officer points out that it is important that such activities are cut off at the source. It is a herculean task, but can be done if taken seriously.
Interrogation of pirates suggests that the Lashkar has created an entirely new wing under the leadership of a terrorist by the name Abu Yakoob to launch attacks from the sea. He in turn has roped in three different outfits to ensure that such attacks are coordinated.
The Al-Shahbab, which has control over the pirates, has been told to increase the number of attacks and not worry much about results for now.
Yakoob has roped in the Abu-Sayaf and Jemaah Islamyah groups to help with their maritime operation.
There have been instances to show that there are movements between Pakistan and Somalia with an intention of planning more attacks on a larger scale.
While the Lashkar will rope in more such groups in the days to come, the entire operation would be headquartered at Karachi as was like during the 26/11 attack. While the Lashkar would try and execute attacks on the sea, they would also use this team of theirs to launch attacks on land as well. Coastal areas in India will be under the scanner since these would be the obvious targets.
Apart from launching attacks on Indian soil and waters, terrorist groups would also look to transport ammunition and also send in cadres into Indian soil. This gives an indication that land borders are no longer the favourite choice of terror groups to carry out an infiltration process.
From the SMCM (Somali Marine and Coastal Monitor): (and with a view on news of events with an impact on Somalia)The articles below - except where stated otherwise - are reproduced in accordance with Section 107 of title 17 of the Copyright Law of the United States relating to fair-use and are for the purposes ofcriticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions held by ECOTERRA Intl.
Articles below were vetted and basically found to report correctly - or otherwise are commented.
Somalis say:NO TO UN-TRUSTEESHIP OVER SOMALIA OR AU AND IGAD MILITARIZATION
NO to military governance on land or naval governance on the Somali seas.NO to any threat infringing on the sovereignty of Somalia, especially concerning the 200nm territorial waters, given since 1972, and the 200nm EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone / UNCLOS) already in place since 1989.NO to any Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in relief food or Genetically Engineered (GE) seed supplies.
Poet, rapper and songwriter K'naan has returned to Somalia for the first time since he fled his native land with his family in 1991. Traveling with Sol Guy, his business partner and manager (and National Geographic Emerging Explorer), his mission is to help raise awareness (and relief funding) for millions of starving people. "A life no less valuable than yours and mine. And without any dramatization, without sounding a single bell, we are now at risk of losing 12 million of those ones. In that thought alone, it is remarkable that the world does not come to a halt," K'naan and Sol said in a statement before their departure for Africa.
Here is their report of what they have found in Somalia. Please follow the link at the bottom to find out how you can help the hunger relief effort.
REPORT By Sol Guy
Mogadishu, Somalia — Earlier this month the United Nations announced that the first famine in 20 years was unfolding in Somalia and throughout the Horn of Africa. I have a unique connection to the region as one of my best friends and business partners is the Somali-born poet and singer K'naan. It turns out the last time a famine was announced it was in the same region. How is it possible that in 2011 we find ourselves repeating the mistakes of the past? How can we not rally globally and come up with innovative solutions? We can't completely plan for a tsunami or an earthquake, but we can surely be proactive as opposed to reactive when it comes to a drought and famine that the people in this region have been warning us about for the past three years.
I don't want to simplify the solution as Somalia is a complex country, that has had no central government for 20 years. With a civil war raging, the international community found itself unable to engage with the oncoming humanitarian disaster. However, as the situation began to unfold I went through every emotion, from anger and hope to wondering why the world didn't seem to care. What I realized is that in a world where we see disasters daily and our attention span is minimal, we seem to have become dysfunctional in our ability to help those in need.
So what do we do? We knew we had to do something and realized the best thing we could do was to go to Somalia ourselves, to see what was happening and build our plan from there. We took a trip to humanity's edge, where opportunity and tragedy walk a razor's edge.
This would be my brother K'naan's first trip back to the city of his birth since he fled with his family in 1991 as the country crumbled. Here's some photos from our trip into Mogadishu. Click on each photo to enlarge them. All photos by Nabil Elderkin.
Provide Famine Relief in Somalia
Make a donation right now to provide famine relief in Somalia. Neighbors Initiative is a program to strengthen the fabric of local communities by uniting and mobilizing to provide desperately needed humanitarian relief in Somalia. It's a partnership between the American Refugee Committee and the Somali community. We'll put your donation to work immediately, bringing life-saving support to families in Somalia. Food, clean water, sanitation, shelter — people really need our help, Neighbors Initiative says on its website. Find out more.
K'naan opens his heart to Somali famine victims By Anita Li (Globe&Mail)
"Do you see why it's amazing when someone comes out of such a dire situation and learns the English language just to share his observation?" raps Somali-Canadian hip-hop artist K'naan in his songSomalia.
Growing up during a civil war imbued K'naan, born Keinan Abdi Warsame, with a fierce love for his native land and a desire to give a voice to the average Somali. On Sunday, he made the trek back home, touring Mogadishu's Banadir Hospital, where he visited malnourished children.
The United Nations has declared Somalia the scene of the world's worst famine in a generation. Tens of thousands of people are already believed to have died and the United Nations says things will get worse as food aid fails to reach the 3.2 million citizens who need it.
Famine refugees at the hospital, who recognized the musician, tried to hug him or shake his hand as he walked past.
"I came to Somalia to see the situation here and give any donation I have to the people and anything else available," he said, speaking in Somali. "I will do all I can to help my people in Somalia."
The socially conscious musician often rhymes about the streets of Mogadishu, where he spent his childhood. Before skyrocketing to global success with Wavin' Flag, the 2010 World Cup anthem touting Africa's strength and struggles, K'naan, 33, was an indie musician little-known outside of Canada. The soccer connection not only bolstered sales of his 2009 album Troubadour but it also gave him a bigger platform for his efforts to spread awareness about African issues.
K'naan's ties to Africa run deep and he was profoundly affected by his extensive travels throughout the continent last year, visiting some 25 countries.
"I didn't encounter despair, I encountered vastness, from the majestic mountains in Swaziland to the incredible culture in Madagascar," he told The Globe and Mail last year. "I also realized that during times of hardship, people [in Africa] look to hopeful things, to things as they wish they were, not so much the way things are … In times of war, people write love songs. That's an important realization for me, and a beautiful one."
Twenty years ago, K'naan and his family fled Somalia to escape the country's civil war, eventually settling in Toronto's Rexdale neighbourhood , which has a large Somali community. There, he learned English by copying the lyrics and imitating the diction of rap songs by artists like Nas and Rakim.
Even as a musically-inclined teenager, social commentary was part of his lyrical repertoire. Growing up in the rough-and-tumble suburb, K'naan lost many friends to murder, suicide, prison and deportation. He translated the sorrow he felt into rhythms and beats. Today, the rapper continues to write about issues close to his heart.
"Somalia is worse now than it was when I left at 13," he wrote in a personal essay for The Globe and Mail in May, 2010. "I supposed this all means more songs."
Somalia is one of the poorest nations in the world, a condition that the World Bank says is exacerbated by the absence of a functioning national government and the civil war, which has created insecurity in parts of the country and has prevented access to basic services and infrastructure.
K'naan in Somalia: beacon of hope (Globe&MailUpdate)
News that a famine in the Horn of Africa is killing thousands of men, women and children has been met with a feeble response around the world, including Canada. It may be the inertia of summer, donor fatigue, the fragile economy, a dearth of media coverage of the worst drought in a generation – or a combination of all these factors.
But the visit of the Somali-Canadian rapper and icon K'naan to his homeland this week is a reminder that 3.2 million people are on the brink of starvation, and that the world has a responsibility to help them.
Heroic parents are walking for days to camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, only to watch their emaciated children succumb to disease and starvation. The host countries must also cope with their own victims of the drought.
Time is running out. The Canadian government has promised to match all individual donations made by Sept. 16 – and so far Canadians have responded by pledging $20-million. Ottawa itself has given $70-million in humanitarian aid to East Africa – a third of the amount directed to Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, a more immediate and telegenic disaster.
The scale and intensity of this famine, caused by a drought and exacerbated by years of civil war and a lack of functioning national government in Somalia, require a more sustained and bountiful response. The United Nations' $2.5-billion appeal is less than half-filled.
Canadians can do better. They can help Africans help themselves. "Canadians may be thinking, another famine in Africa," says Robert Fox, executive director of Oxfam Canada. "But it is important to note that while the drought is a natural disaster, the famine is a political one. It speaks to the lack of investment in small-scale agriculture and irrigation, and disaster-risk reduction."
Aid groups are also hampered by the presence of al-Shabaab in southern Somalia; the jihadi militia has banned many humanitarian agencies.
K'naan's visit is a powerful reminder of Africa's great potential and hope for the future. "I will do all I can to help my people in Somalia," said the singer, during a visit to Mogadishu's Banadir Hospital.
Africa isn't a sinkhole, but a huge continent making significant progress on many fronts. The refugees, many of them women, have shown courage and fortitude in catastrophic circumstances. They are trying to stay alive and help their children survive against all odds. They deserve the world's attention.
Music icon K'Naan returns home at last By Abdirashid Abdi Diis, AfricaNews
Somali prominent musician, Keynan Abdi Warsame, paid a visit on Sunday to the bullet and starvation-ridden capital, Mogadishu, of his motherland country of Somalia for the first time ever in two decades after he fled there due to the 1991 civil war. He is back to support with humanitarian aid.Keynan, a Somali-Canadian hip-hop artist and poet, visited several institutions in the capital including the hospitals and mushroom camps of internally displaced persons in Mogadishu, where he pledged his full support to assist the people.
He became a world icon with his rousing 2010 FIFA World Cup song 'Waving Flag'.
According to local reports, Keynan was mobbed by hundreds of his countrymen as their illustrious son toured Banadir Hospital, where malnourished children are receiving treatment.
"The situation is not good; many people are hospitalized and malnourished. It touched me a lot," said Keynan.
"I came to Mogadishu to see the situation and give whatever donation I have for my people of Somalia," he added, while waving flag above the heads of the gathering.
Somalia has been a country of anarchy since 1991 after her central government was toppled in a military coup.
Much of central and southern regions in the country are currently under rule of Al-Shabba, with an attempt to topple the western–backed government led by Shiekh Sharif Shiekh Ahmed, who is said be a Muslim moderate.
Somali rapper K'naan visits famine-struck homeland By Abdi Guled (AP)
Somali-born rapper K'naan brought his waving flag back home Sunday, promising to help his countrymen as they struggle with a devastating famine that has killed tens of thousands of children.
The rapper, who left Somalia as a child more than two decades ago to settle in Canada, made a brief visit to Mogadishu on Sunday. He was mobbed by famine refugees who tried to shake his hand or hug him as he toured Mogadishu's Banadir Hospital and met with malnourished children.
"I came to Somalia to see the situation here and give any donation I have to the people and anything else available," he said, speaking in Somali. "I will do all I can to help my people in Somalia."
He did not perform his hit song "Wavin' Flag," which tells of the difficulties he faced growing up in the lawless, impoverished Horn of Africa nation. A version of that song was used for a Coca-Cola campaign when South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup.
The United Nations says more than 3.2 million Somalis need food aid. The U.S. says 29,000 Somali children under age 5 have died.
The U.N. says tens of thousands of people already have died in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti and has warned that the famine hasn't peaked. More than 12 million people in the region need food aid, according to the U.N. Somalia has been hit hardest because of a confluence of conflict and climate change.
Decades of violence in Somalia has left population vulnerable to the vagaries of weather changes. Islamist insurgents are also attempting to overthrow Somalia's weak U.N.-backed government. The most dangerous among the groups is the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militant group, which has barred aid agencies from operating in the territories it controls in southern Somalia.
The southern parts of Somalia, which are mainly under the control of al-Shabab extremists, have been worst affected because of the group's refusal to allow in key humanitarian groups including the World Food Program, the world's major aid provider.
SEE ALL ARTICLES ON K'NAAN ATTENDING THE SOMALI CRISIS
People Party - "We Recognize No TFG in Country; Mandate Ends August 20"
A statement from the office of the Somali Part based in the British capital London said Sunday that the mandate of the transitional government of Somalia led by Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed and speaker of the parliament Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden has legally ended yesterday on 20th August 2011.
The Party said in the statement that they were very concerned about the political turmoil of Somalia calling for the authorities of the transitional government of Somalia to leave of the offices and being government officials for the Somali society.
The Somali Party suggested for all the Somali people to come in gatherings to announce consultative meetings and form Somali council led by political parties to conduce elections and heads to lead the country and people of Somalia
The Statement of the party stresses that they would recognize the transitional government of led by Sheik Sharif and speaker of the parliament Sharif Hassan Sheik Aden as a state its period totally wrapped up on 20 August 2011 pointing out that they would also know the TFG as united group formed as function leaders or warlords.
The statement also called for the armed groups supporting the TFG and those not supporting and also those fighting against them to halt the fighting against the Somali people who are dying for the famine, starvation and tragedies of the droughts hit in the country.
Lastly the People Party of Somalia which discussed more issues regarding Somalia has concluded their statement that all the Somali people in and out of the country to get rid of the power struggle seeking the governance, but look for it with peace, reconciliation, collaborations and consolations.
Help a nation that can't help itself (PhiladelphiaInquirer) What do you do with a Somalia? Americans have wanted to have as little to do as possible with the East African nation ever since 19 U.S. soldiers were killed in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, made famous in the 2001 movie Black Hawk Down, which was based on a book by former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Mark Bowden.
But Somalia won't let this country, or any other, it seems, forget that it is still here. It has become the very definition of anarchy, with only a semblance of a government that can do little to control the terrorists, pirates, and warlords who make life in the country miserable.
The world also can't forget Somalia because it is the most destitute of the nations in the Horn of Africa, suffering from the region's latest drought and famine. The United Nations says more than 3.2 million Somalis, half the nation's population, are in need of food and other aid. More than 600,000 Somalis have fled to neighbouring countries.
The world has responded to the East African crisis, which has affected about 12 million people in all. But the aid is not arriving as quickly as it should. As a result, more than a half-million children, many of them in Somalia, are fighting severe malnutrition and could die.
UNICEF recently reported that it faced a $200-million shortfall in emergency funds needed for the region, including more than $120 million for Somalia alone. Afshan Khan, a UNICEF director, urged potential donors to focus on the most vulnerable victims. "Children don't choose where they are born, to whom they are born, what type of government rules them," she said.
Still, it's understandable that some might hesitate to give to relief funds, knowing there is a good chance the aid may never reach its intended recipients.
The UN World Food Program acknowledged this week that much of the food meant for starving Somalis is being stolen and sold in markets at prices the poor could never afford.
Piles of food have been seen in Mogadishu markets with stamps showing the items came from the WFP, America's USAID, or the Japanese or Kuwaiti governments. Nevertheless, people must continue to give, hoping steps can be taken to get more of the aid to victims.
No one knows when things will be better. Somalia's civil war has lasted 20 years and has been exacerbated by U.S. efforts, aided by Ethiopia, to uproot the Islamic terrorist group al-Shabab.
But the famine victims can't wait for better days. They need help now.
Somalis "Simply Cannot Wait Any Longer' for International Support, in Midst of Deadly Drought, Nascent Political Gains, Security Council Told (TheMediaNewswire)
A complex amalgam in Somalia of accelerated political progress and the unexpected withdrawal of insurgents from the capital - amid a deadly famine devastating large swaths of the country - made increased international support to the nation urgent at this critical time, the Secretary-General's Special Representative told the Security Council today.
A complex amalgam in Somalia of accelerated political progress and the unexpected withdrawal of insurgents from the capital — amid a deadly famine devastating large swaths of the country — made increased international support to the nation urgent at this critical time, the Secretary-General's Special Representative told the Security Council today.
"This is an extraordinary moment for Somalia," Augustine Mahiga said via video teleconference from Mogadishu. "Now is the time for the international community to demonstrate its commitment," he said, adding: "The Somali people simply cannot wait any longer." Describing the situation in the political and security sectors, he was joined by Catherine Bragg, Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, who briefed on the food crisis.
In the political arena, the signing of the Kampala Accord on 9 June "has set us on a new trajectory in the peace process", Mr. Mahiga said. The Accord, signed by President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed of the Transitional Federal Government and Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, Speaker of the Transitional Federal Parliament, ended five months of political stalemate on the way forward, providing for elections in one year and establishing a road map with benchmarks, timelines and compliance mechanisms for implementing priority tasks.
He was further encouraged by implementation of the Accord so far, with former Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed resigning ahead of schedule and his successor, Abdiweli Mohamed, overwhelmingly endorsed by Parliament in a timely manner. The Parliament itself had endorsed the Accord on 11 July, and 10 days later, the new Prime Minister had appointed a Cabinet of 18 ministers, following broad consultations. The Parliament had approved the Cabinet within the agreed timeline as well.
The next major step was the adoption procedure for the road map, which would give the people of Somalia much-needed ownership of the process, he said. The international community must be ready to provide support for that framework, he added, stressing that, at the same time, it would be made clear to the Transitional Federal Institutions that there would be consequences for non-compliance or obstruction of the blueprint.
On security, the recent and unexpected withdrawal from Mogadishu of the extremist Al-Shabaab insurgent group had opened up considerable opportunities well ahead of schedule, he said, even though the group had described the retreat as a tactical manoeuvre. In any case, the group had been compelled to retreat, and for that reason, he paid tribute to the African Union Mission in Somalia ( AMISOM ). Before the withdrawal, earliest projections had foreseen Transitional Federal Institution control and stabilization of the capital city one year from now.
The immediate priority, he said, was to fill the vacuum created by Al‑Shabaab's departure so as to not allow the warlords and their militia to fill the gap. Basic administrative structures must be put in place as a matter of urgency. In addition, the revival of economic activities in Mogadishu was critical, especially at the Bakara market, hitherto under the control of Al-Shabaab.
The United Nations Political Office in Somalia ( UNPOS ) was adjusting to the quicker-than-expected changes, as the new situation allowed an expanded United Nations presence inside Somalia, rather than a "light footprint", he said. For that purpose, sped-up construction of permanent facilities to pave the way for the deployment of additional critical staff was needed, as was the creation of an additional force under AMISOM dedicated to provide protection and facilitate movement for United Nations staff in Mogadishu.
There was also an immediate imperative to augment AMISOM's resources — in logistics, mobility, aviation and disposal of unexploded ordinance, he said. As the Somali police deployed in the recently recovered areas, the deployment of AMISOM police should be expedited to support those efforts.
Gaps remained, however, in the United Nations support package to AMISOM, he said, appealing to the Council to consider expanding that package to cover critical categories of self-sustainment. In addition, he urged the Council to consider including the reimbursement for contingent-owned equipment, now five months in arrears, in the logistical support package funded through assessed contributions, as there were no resources available in the Trust Fund.
Finally, the Special Representative appealed to the international community to act swiftly to avert greater tragedy in the food crisis and to fund the approximately $1 billion needed through the consolidated appeals process. He also urged all groups in Somalia to lay down their arms and allow aid agencies to access all Somalis in dire need of assistance.
Taking the floor in the Chamber, Ms. Bragg agreed that urgent action was needed. Since the United Nations had declared a state of famine in two regions of Somalia over two weeks ago, the situation had worsened. The famine threshold had been reached in three new areas of southern Somalia — Middle Shabelle, the Afgoye corridor internally displaced persons settlement and the Mogadishu internally displaced persons community.
"By the time I go to bed tonight, 13 people […] will have died," she said, adding that that number was calculated from a population of only 10,000 — much lower than the actual number of people at risk. Some 3.7 million people were in need of immediate, life-saving assistance, 2.8 million of whom were in south and central Somalia, and 1.25 million of whom were children.
Rates of both severe acute malnutrition and under-five mortality were very high, she said. Additionally, the drought had generated displacement on a large scale. An estimated 100,000 people had fled to Mogadishu over the past two months, and the overall number of internally displaced in Somalia was estimated at 1.5 million. Refugees were also fleeing to Kenya at the rate of 1,500 persons per day.
"A massive multisectoral response is critical to prevent additional deaths and a total livelihood/social collapse," she stressed. Such a response would include both health interventions and the provision of food aid or therapeutic feeding, in particular as the start of the rainy season in October threatened to increase the risk of epidemic diseases. Some progress had already been made; on 4 August, the International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC ) — the only organization allowed to conduct food distribution in areas controlled by Al-Shabaab — had announced the increase of its emergency operations in central and southern Somalia.
The United Nations Children's Fund ( UNICEF ) was boosting its supply pipeline to support the existing supplementary feeding and stabilization centres, she said. Since 27 July, 97 tons of supplies had been airlifted to Mogadishu, Gedo and the Lower Juba regions to treat some 34,000 malnourished children under the age of 5 for one month. Emergency measles and polio vaccine campaigns were under way, as were sanitation activities and water interventions.
She said that, in Mogadishu this week, an Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR ) airlift carrying shelter material and emergency assistance packages had landed in Mogadishu for the first time in five years. However, humanitarian operations in the capital remained complex, she said, and "the scaling up of activities is not a quick endeavour". Humanitarian actors were still assessing the implications of the withdrawal of Al-Shabaab. The capacity of the local civilian administration in supporting the delivery of aid and ensuring the security of sites for the internally displaced remained weak.
On 8 August, she said, the Humanitarian Coordinator had met with the Prime Minister in Mogadishu together with various United Nations system actors to discuss the scale-up of the humanitarian programme and improving security for the internally displaced persons. While the Prime Minister had assured that secure access to assistance delivery in the camps could be negotiated, technical support would be needed, Ms. Bragg reported.
Turning finally to the funding situation, she said humanitarian partners still required $560 million for life-saving assistance, as only half the appeal had been funded. "The magnitude of human suffering in Somalia today demands more," she stressed. "Every day counts," she said, adding: "We cannot let people down." The present situation was the "most severe food crisis emergency in the world right now"; it must be treated "with the urgency it demands", she said.
Sierra Leone to send 850 soldiers to Somalia (AFP) Sierra Leone will send a battalion of 850 soldiers to boost an African Union mission in war-torn Somalia after April next year, military spokesman Major Ken Jabbie said in the capital on Wednesday.
Jabbie said a five-man reconaissance mission was already in Mogadishu where the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is supporting government troops who have recently fought bloody battles with the Al Qaeda-inspired Shebab rebels who want to topple the administration.
The spokesman said Sierra Leone -- which is recovering from a civil war that ended in 2002 -- hoped to assist in bringing peace to other countries.
"The United Nations had the largest peacekeeping force of 17,500 troops that helped brought peace to Sierra Leone during the 10-year civil war," he said.
"I think we have to help bring peace to other areas of conflict as a payback."
On August 9 the AU made an urgent call for 3,000 more troops to secure the war-battered capital after Shebab rebels, who had controlled around half of the city, pulled out of the city claiming a change in military tactics.
The 9,000-strong mission is currently made up of troops from Uganda and Burundi.
War-wracked Somalia is the country hardest hit by the Horn of Africa's drought and violence has affected aid flows to those worst affected in one of the world's most dangerous cities.
The Wealthy Group Thrives On Starving Population By Siham Mohamud (keydmedia/Sunatimes) Mr. Abdulqadir Mohamed Nur-Enow is the wealthiest WFP contractor ever in East Africa
Eight Somali businessmen said they bought food from the Contractor - On August 16, 2011, Katherine Houreld of AP has uncovered how relief aid is stolen in big scale in Mogadishu, and perhaps being plundered as early as 1992.
The high lightened culprit is Engineer Abdulqadir Mohamed (Enow) and his affluent spouse, who runs Saacid, a powerful local food agency. However, we believe that Enow is not alone, as he is always pinned under the armpits of the top government officials.
Where faith of any religion and moral standing are in short supply, plundering relief aid is the easiest way of getting richer and richer after every single unloaded shipment. Like al-Shabab, this is a Somali curse.
"The WFP acknowledges that it had been investigating food theft/diversion for the first time in the past two months," reported Katherine Houreld. Why it took 20 years to uncover food diversions…?
No sane person can believe such version. In fact, the aid theft was happening in the past 20 years, and we do strongly believe that WFP regional and filed authorities are not immune of aid plunder in the past quarter of a century timeline.
In the other hand, the majority of Somalis do believe that whatever total relief food shipments donated to the famishing recipients in the past twenty years, only half of it or less made to the plates of the hungry masses. Enow and his spouse could be the tip of the greatest WFP aid theft in the century, but we need to see the big guys lurking behind the UN mantle on the hot seat, as well.
The genuine Somali populations are earnestly asking the Secretary General of the UN to make good the missed portion of food aid and be forwarded within the famine season. There's another question. How can we trust WFP service if the aid thieves are not apprehended and brought to justice?
Mr. Abdulqadir Mohamed Nur-Enow is the wealthiest WFP contractor ever in East Africa, let alone Somalia. He is under WFP contract since 1992 and has been reported to have extensive warehouses around Mogadishu where his sales aid foods to business retailers.
One of his extensive warehouses is located behind Hotel Nasahablood, by the roundabout of Kilometer Four in Mogadishu. All Foods in his stores are relief aid that bears the stamps of USAID, the Kuwait Government, the Japanese government, the WFP, and perhaps so, will be other aid food on the way to the southern and central regions of Somalia.
The AP found 8 major sites where thousands of aid foods bags are being sold in the open market; as well as many smaller stores where aid foods were being sold in North Mogadishu.
Certain aid foods have a good demand in the market, such as: Kuwait dates, biscuits, corn, plump's nut and peanut butter designed for starving children. Officials in Mogadishu with extensive knowledge of food trade said a massive amount of aid food is being stolen for long-perhaps to half of recent aid deliveries, admitted the AP reporter.
"While helping starving people, you are also feeding of groups that make a business out of the disaster," remarked Joakin Gundel who heads Katun, a consultant company based in Nairobi often asked to evaluate International aid efforts in Somalia.
Another official with extensive knowledge of the aid food trade said at some Saacid kitchen sites, "It appeared less than half of the food delivered for feeding."
A Badbaado camp in Mogadishu run by the TFG tells an appealing account of how the starving people are deprived of food aid delivered to them. "As usual food is delivered to the camp and journalists take pictures and leave," admit the plundered recipients.
The government servicing staff force the people to give back the food, and the starving people complain about it, and say: "They tell us they will keep it for us and force us to give them our food," said a refugee Halima Sheikh Abdi.
She continued and added, "We cannot refuse to cooperate because if we do, they will force us out of the camp, and then you don't know what to do and eat. It happened to many people already." The AP reporter said, "WFP officials have long expected some of the aid food pouring into Somalia to disappear.
But the sheer scale of the theft calls into question the aid group's ability to reach the starving masses. Paradoxically, it took WFP 20 odd years to confirm for the first time the grand aid theft in the century…!
Here is another source of information about aid diversion. 3 businessmen described buying food directly from Mogadishu Port and paid into Enow Dahabshil account, a money transfer system in Somalia.
Many quarters, local and international believe that diverted food fuels Somalia's 20-years of civil wars. The successive TFG officials covered up aid scam. It is big business with mutual interest for a privileged club.
The food scam starts from Mogadishu Port management, and includes: The shipment service unit in the port, the TFG aid supervisor and ultimately the contractor. On behalf of the top TFG officials, the contractor takes care of their interest and enjoys the impunity of the government scrutiny. Nominating a civil servant official to supervision position at Mogadishu Port is the most rewarding political position ever offered to one.
A spokesman for the TFG Mr. Abdurahman Omar Osman said, "The government does not believe food aid is being stolen on a larger scale, but if such report comes to light the government will do everything in its power to bring action in a military court."
Who can believe such hollow words? In fact, the government is a full partner of food theft. It never brought aid thieves to the court. The Government did no establish courts of justice in the first place. What the AP reporter had learned in 24 hours could not have remained in the darkness off the government radar for twenty long years.
If half of the aid food is stolen in the past 20 years, how many people died of hunger since then…? How much money was worthy the disappeared food…? As of late as of August 16, 2011, 29,000 children died of starvation.
Who embezzled their food and put them into an agonizing death…? Unlike Hitler, these opportunists did not gas their victims, but like Hitler, they starved to death, and they are equally accountable of the lives of those who died of hunger.
The WFP contractors are also responsible of the death of the 14 WFP employees killed since 2008. The contractors felt uncomfortable of vigilant WFP employees and contracted for their death, believe ¾ of Mogadishu residents.
Since Somalia falls under the mandate of the UN, the food contractors should be brought to justice and all their ill-gotten assets are frozen and refunded to the starving people.
Somalia Executes Soldier, Defense Worker (VOA)
Somalia's government has executed a soldier and a defense ministry worker who were sentenced to death by a military tribunal in separate murder cases.
A firing squad shot the men on Monday behind police headquarters in Mogadishu, where the duo had been blindfolded and tied to a post.
A government official tells VOA the soldier had been found guilty of killing a fellow soldier on May 5.
The tribunal sentenced the defense worker in July for killing the driver of a ministry director.
Somalia set up the military tribunal in August of 2009. Tribunal chairman Hassan Mohammed Mahamud tells VOA that since then, "deliberate killings" in Mogadishu have declined.
Mahamud said more tribunals will be set up throughout Mogadishu now that the government has seized the capital from al-Shabab militants.
Earlier this month, al-Shabab withdrew from Mogadishu after an offensive by government forces and African Union troops. Pro-government forces continue to battle al-Shabab in other parts of Somalia.
King Abdullah's call gets generous response By P.K. Abdul Ghafour (ArabNews)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah launched the national fundraising campaign for famine-hit Somalis by donating SR20 million. The telethon collected nearly SR100 million as of early Tuesday. The telethon has been extended to another day.
Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, gave SR10 million to the fund while Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif donated SR5 million.
Petrochemical giant Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) said it would be giving SR5 million. Prince Saud bin Abdullah Thunayan, chairman of SABIC, said the donation came within the framework of the company's social responsibility.
The UN World Food Program, meanwhile, said it received a generous Saudi donation of $50 million to help save Somali children and said the amount would be used to feed more than half a million children suffering from malnutrition in the East African country.
In a statement on the occasion of the telethon, Prince Naif urged Saudi businessmen, banks, businesses and philanthropists to donate generously to the people of Somalia, who are suffering from the worst famine and drought in 60 years.
"The condition of the Somali people is very bad and they need our support," he said and urged Saudis and residents to compete with one another in helping the Somalis during the holy month when good deeds are highly rewarded. King Abdullah announced the fundraiser on Saturday.
"Inspired by the Qur'anic verses and moved by the sense of responsibility toward our brethren in Somalia ... King Abdullah has instructed that Monday, Aug. 22, will be the beginning of the fundraiser," a Royal Court announcement said.
Saudi Arabian Television Channel One led the campaign, as a number of Islamic scholars appeared on the show encouraging the public to donate generously to the people of Somalia. The channel also broadcast the amounts donated by individuals and companies. Radio Riyadh, Radio Jeddah, Radio Qur'an and Nida Al-Islam Radio are also participating in the campaign.
The National Campaign for the Relief of Somalis has allocated a unified account 10400077777201 at NCB to receive donations in cash. It has also opened an IBAN account SA43100 00020177777000104 at NCB for the purpose.
People can also make donations through NCB's toll-free number 8002443333 or logging onto the bank's website www.alahlionline.com or using the bank's ATMs.
The campaign will also accept food such as rice, sugar, flour, cooking oil, dates, milk and juices as well as tents, bed-sheets, clothes, medical appliances, medicine and first-aid materials.
Donations in Jeddah will be received at the Education Ministry's stadium in the Faisaliya district. The committee in Jeddah said it would also receive gold, jewelry, cars and other valuables.
WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said the Kingdom's contribution was in response to its appeal for funds to help save the lives of thousands of children before they fall into severe stages of malnutrition. The Saudi donation will be specifically used to feed 600,000 children for two months, he said.
Somalia has been the worst hit of several countries in East Africa affected by what the United Nations has described as the region's most severe drought in 60 years. The WFP said it was targeting food assistance to some 1.5 million people in central and northern Somalia and Mogadishu and was ready to try to reach an additional 2.2 million people in southern parts of the country. But the UN agency warned its Horn of Africa appeal was still $250 million short.
UN investigating Somalia famine aid theft (Telegraph)
Thousands of sacks of food aid meant for Somalia's famine victims have been stolen and are being sold at markets, depriving the Somalis who have flooded into the country's capital of urgently needed sustenance. The UN's World Food Programme for the first time acknowledged it has been investigating food theft in Somalia for two months. The WFP said that the "scale and intensity" of the famine crisis does not allow for a suspension of assistance, saying that doing so would lead to "many unnecessary deaths".
The UN says more 3.2 million Somalis – nearly half the population – need food aid after a severe drought that has been complicated by Somalia's long-running war. More than 450,000 Somalis live in famine zones controlled by al-Qaeda-linked militants, where aid is difficult to deliver. The US says 29,000 Somali children under the age of 5 already have died. International officials have long expected some of the food aid pouring into Somalia to go missing. But the sheer scale of the theft taking place calls into question aid groups' ability to reach the starving. It also raises concerns about the willingness of aid agencies and the Somali government to fight corruption, and whether diverted aid is fuelling Somalia's 20-year-civil war. "While helping starving people, you are also feeding the power groups that make a business out of the disaster," said Joakim Gundel, who heads Katuni Consult, a Nairobi-based company often asked to evaluate international aid efforts in Somalia. "You're saving people's lives today so they can die tomorrow." Vast piles of food sacks with stamps on them from the World Food Programme, the US government aid arm USAID and the Japanese government are for sale in Mogadishu markets.
Food aid looting kills 12 in Somalia (PressTV)At least twelve people have been killed and several others wounded after a gunfight broke out between Somali government forces at a camp for displaced people in the capital Mogadishu.
The UN has declared famine in five regions in Somalia and said that the international humanitarian response to the crisis has been insufficient. Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops turned on each other in the Dharkenley district of southern Mogadishu on Monday as some TFG soldiers tried to steal aid portions for famine-hit Somali families, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The two sides exchanged heavy gunfire and hurled hand grenades at each other during the fighting. Seven government soldiers and five civilians were killed as a result.
Some 15 tons of humanitarian aid to help with the relief of drought-stricken Somalia were looted in the incident.
The United Nations has warned that more than 13 out of every 10,000 children aged less than five die in the Somalia famine zone every day.
"This means that 10 percent of children under five are dying every 11 weeks. These figures are truly heart-wrenching," said UN representative to Somalia Augustine Mahiga.
The drought and famine have affected more than 11.8 million people across Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Somalia has been the hardest-hit country in what is being described as the worst drought in the Horn of Africa in 60 years.
According to the United Nations, it is estimated that a quarter of Somalia's population of 9.9 million are now either internally displaced or living outside the country as refugees.
Somalia: 2 Soldiers Executed (Reuters)
Two government soldiers accused of killing a civilian and a soldier were executed on Monday, as the Western-backed government came under international pressure to hold its forces accountable for abuses. The Somali government, which recently took control of much of the capital, Mogadishu, after Islamist rebels withdrew, is hoping to gain support for a new humanitarian force to protect food aidconvoys. "Any soldier who kills a person or loots property or food at the market or in refugee camps will be executed likewise," the judge told reporters at the Mogadishu police academy where the soldiers had been blindfolded and tied to two poles and the sentence carried out. President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed has declared a state of emergency in portions of Mogadishu abandoned this month by the Shabab, an Islamist rebel group.
Somali Markets Packed With Food Aid For Sale (DailyMaverick/JACKAL NEWS)
While the UN shuffles to defend aid to Mogadishu despite the threat of theft, a South African military aircraft will deliver 18 tons of supplies to famine victims in Somalia this week. By KHADIJA PATEL.
Associated Press reported this week that vast quantities of food aid bearing stamps from the World Food Programme, the US government aid agency USAid, the Japanese government and the Kuwaiti government are for sale in Mogadishu markets. According to the report eight different sites were found to be selling thousands of sacks of food in bulk. Other food aid, according to the report was also for sale in numerous smaller stores. The United Nations' World Food Programme, in response has rubbished the story, insisting the scale suggested by the AP report was simply implausible.
Importantly, however, the UN does admit that a certain amount of food aid is indeed being stolen. A WFP spokesperson in Rome told reporters that stolen food sold in Mogadishu markets amounts to no more than "1% of total assistance", but the report does bring to light the lack of processes available to aid agencies in Mogadishu to investigate exactly where food aid ends up. In a highly militarised zone where the sound of gunfire is always just around the corner, aid agencies rarely leave their bases. Staff of WFP are said not to venture further than their base near Mogadishu airport.
With the call for aid to Somalia growing stronger still, there is little aid agencies can actually do to assure food reaches the right hands. Last week, the vestiges of the Somali government called for the creation of a new military force to protect food aid convoys and camps in southern Somalia. The call for such a force may have more credence after Reuters reported on Tuesday that Al-Shabaab and Somali government troops as well as African Union peacekeepers were engaged in fierce fighting in northern Mogadishu, prompting doctors and children to flee a hospital that was hit by stray bullets.
South Africa, meanwhile, continues to step up its response to the famine in Somalia and the first demonstration of the South African government response will occur later this week when a South African military aircraft ferries food and medical supplies to Mogadishu on behalf of local aid agency, Gift of the Givers.
Unlawful Fees Imposed On Aid Planes Lading at Mogadishu Airport (AllAfrica)
Planes carrying aid to famine hit Somalia have been subjected to illegal fees to be paid when landing at Mogadishu's Aden International Airport, an official said on Wednesday.
Mogadishu airport authorities started to take a lot of illegal money from the airplanes carrying aid food and medicine to the starving people in the refugee camps in the capital, said an official at the Mogadishu airport who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
He said it is not still known where those money directly goes, adding that the aid planes landing at the airport were ordered to pay $ 2,000 for any flight to the capital.
The aid officials in charge of the planes refused to heed the strict orders, the official said.
He mentioned that one of aid planes officials was jailed inside the airport after long dispute and quarrel. But Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, the president of the transitional government of Somalia has released him from the jail as he was to fly from there.
Though the minister of finance doesn't take any tax from aid planes to Somalia, the official who asked his name not be published on the newsoutlets, said this move will be an obstacle to relief efforts in famine hit Somalia.
The move of taking a lot of illegal money from aid planes landing at Mogadishu airport is a new as Somalia's government leaders said aid planes shouldn't be taxed.
Somalia tragedy, extremists and climate change by Hİlal Elver & Richard Falk*
The unfolding tragedy in East Africa is a dramatic indicator of what humanity as a whole can expect in the near future "if business as usual" continues to be the phrase that most accurately expresses global climate change policy.
The unwillingness of the developed countries to provide adequate humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable peoples in the world also helps explain this worsening regional tragedy.
East Africa is currently suffering from its worst drought in 60 years. According to UN estimates, 12.4 million people are in immediate need of humanitarian assistance and 25 percent of Somalia's 7.5 million people are displaced.
Famine has spread to all parts of the Horn of Africa. As we write, 4.8 million Ethiophians, 3.7 million Somalis and 3.7 million Kenyans are being catastrophically victimized.
Somalia has been hit worst of all. An aggravating cause of the Somali crisis arises from the fact that much of the countryside is controlled by the Islamist Shabab movement that forbids most international aid agencies from entering its territory. More than 100,000 people have arrived in Mogadishu in the last two months in desperate search for food and subsistence, some by walking 100 kilometers.
It is generally accepted that sub-Saharan Africa is now the region of the world most negatively affected by global climate change, particularly by global warming. Such a generalization needs to be qualified as not all African countries are suffering from climate change to the same extent, the degree of impact reflecting varying conditions on the ground. Farms in moist or dry savannah are more sensitive to higher temperature and reduced rainfall than are farms in humid and forest areas. These latter areas may actually experience higher agricultural yields even in the face of severe climate change conditions.
'A natural climatic phenomenon'Drought is no stranger to the peoples of East Africa. According to Klaus Toepfer, former executive director of the United Nations Environment Program: "It is a natural climatic phenomenon. What has dramatically changed in recent decades is the ability of nature to supply essential services like water and moisture during hard times. This is because so much of nature's water and rain supplying services have been damaged, destroyed or cleared. These facts are especially poignant when you factor in the impact of climate change, which is triggering more extreme weather events like droughts." These remarks support our understanding that climate change is a significant element of African humanitarian crises. Toepfer's words also show us why human-induced environmental damage further aggravates preexisting adverse environmental and economic conditions.
It is not possible to determine conclusively that famine in Somalia is attributable to climate change alone or is merely present as part of the wider environmental context, as well as a consequence of colonial and post-colonial exploitation of Somali resources. The most prominent recent example of this Western role in aggravating Somali misery was the destruction of Somali coastal fisheries by the invasion of high technology distant fishing fleets that virtually made traditional Somali fishing untenable. As is notorious, piracy has replaced fishing as the dominant coastal enterprise for traditional Somali communities. This piracy has been criminalized without account being taken of Western responsibility for depriving Somalia of a leading source of food and in the process destroying employment opportunities in a previously vibrant commercial activity.
Taking advantage of this difficulty of connecting the dots of causation, the climate deniers are making the most of a highly selective use of meteorological statistics to insist that there is nothing special to worry about as Somalia's problems should be interpreted as nothing more than a routine phase of the African weather cycle that Africa has been living with for centuries.
Al-Shabab's take on the droughtClimate change skeptics are not alone in their contentions, but have some unexpected allies. Somalia's extremist Islamist group, allegedly linked to al-Qaeda, al-Shabab, contends that the "drought is caused by Allah and people should pray for rain." This evasion of problem-solving by reliance on a pre-modern religious mentality has become politically fashionable in some Western countries. Not long ago the governor of Oklahoma urged residents to pray for rain to end a state-wide drought, and the Republican Party presidential hopeful, Rick Perry, preceded the recent announcement of his candidacy by holding a public prayer meeting. Another American presidential candidate, Michelle Bachmann, sounds remarkably similar to al-Shabab militants when she warns that advocates of action to reduce greenhouse gasses are displacing the work of God.
In addition to its presumed distrust of foreign intrusions, al-Shabab has a material reason for its belief that the Somali drought and famine were not a result of human behavior. A UN investigator, Matt Bryden, recently concluded that "al-Shabab has evolved from a small, clandestine network into an authority that generates tens of millions of dollars a year, organizing charcoal export to Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates." Bryden suggests that the deforestation that has taken place under the control of al-Shabab has probably contributed to the famine by their indiscriminate plunder of forest areas. It is well established that unregulated deforestation is responsible for reduced rainfall.
To be sure, al-Shabab has its reasons for denying that the famine in Somalia is due to environmental damage, including the detrimental impacts of global warming. Perhaps, if its membership were more sophisticated about the nature of climate change, al-Shabab would shift their argument and blame the West, which is overwhelmingly responsible for the impacts currently being felt in Africa due to almost 200 years of industrialization with its accompaniment of unregulated greenhouse gas emissions. The engines of modernity are what accounts for the climate change challenge reaching its present crisis proportions.
It seems likely that al-Shabab doesn't have the scientific background needed to appreciate the seriousness and nature of climate change as it bears on the future of Somalia. What its leaders do seem to grasp is the major premise of capitalism, to wit, that selfish economic interests come before the wellbeing of people, even those starving to death. From such a perspective, the leadership of al-Shabab rejects what must seem to them to be an unwarranted interference in the internal affairs of their country by the international community, plausibly fearing that their own political existence might be jeopardized under the pretext of carrying out "humanitarian" operations under Western auspices. Recalling the disastrous effort of the Clinton presidency to impose a centralized governmental structure on Somalia in 1993, this suspicion about Western intentions seems reasonable, although tragically costly for the people on the ground daily suffering from inadequate supplies of affordable food.
In such a situation it is not surprising that many Somalis are blaming al-Shabab for the severity and prolongation of the food shortage, which has weakened the movement's political credibility with the populace. Islamists in Somalia themselves now seem deeply divided. Earlier al-Shabab enjoyed considerable popular support during a period when chaotic conditions prevailed due to the absence of a functioning government. Prior to the onset of the current emergency in 2006, the majority of the Somali people longed most for an end to the lawlessness and rampant corruption that has paralyzed the country since the collapse of the Siad Barre regime in 1991 and saw al-Shabab as offering this prospect.
For all these reasons, combined with the abject poverty of the country, Somalia has become the international poster child for failed states, environmental disaster and human misery. This has made Somalia seem to be one of the most dangerous countries in the world, both because of these extreme internal conditions and due to its role as a base for international terrorism. Despite these perceptions, the Turkish foreign minister observed in relation to the Turkish government's state visit to the country this August that "there is no reason that Somalia could not recover from its problems."
The Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, took the highly unusual step of visiting Somalia in the company of several ministers in his cabinet, their families and a group of Turkish business leaders. This was truly a dramatic initiative that contrasts with the approach taken toward Somalia in recent years by other governments. It is a fact that despite its woes Somalia is one of the few countries in the world that no Western leader has dared to enter over the course of the last 20 years, presumably fearful about the chaos and unrest, as well as security threats posed by religious extremists, warlords, criminal gangs, along with the health risks associated with the uncontrolled presence of several lethal infectious diseases.
Turkey's motivationIt is only natural to wonder "why" Turkey has decided to take such an initiative. Several important symbolic and functional reasons have been given by Turkish officials to explain the timing and purpose of this high profile diplomatic event situated outside of Turkey's normal orbit of diplomatic activity. "The purpose of the visit was first symbolic," Erdoğan declared. He went on to say: "[t]here was a perception that nobody can go to Mogadishu; we try to destroy the perception. We came, many others can come."
There is a second kind of explanation not far in the background. A few months ago Turkey hosted in İstanbul the Fourth United Nations Least Developed Countries (UN-LDC) summit. Somalia may well be the most afflicted of the 48 LDCs, and so singling it out in this way calls attention to the broader concern with world poverty. After all, the LDC summit was held under Turkish auspices because Ankara had expressed its willingness to take on the responsibility for shaping UN policy towards these "poorest of the poor" during the next 10 years. In view of this initiative it would have been difficult for the Turkish government to close its eyes to the desperate situation in Somalia, and it would have seemed incompatible with the professed desire to do everything possible to help address the challenges faced by this group of countries.
Thirdly, as a devout Muslim, Prime Minister Erdoğan was undoubtedly moved by the ordeal confronting the Muslim community in Somalia during the holy month of Ramadan. As all Muslims are deeply aware, this is a time when religious devotion encourages generosity to others less fortunate. The Somalia case presents a compelling opportunity for Erdoğan and associates to fulfill their religious duties during Ramadan.
It is also relevant to observe that shortly before the Somalia visit, Turkey hosted a major meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at which $500 million was set as a goal pledged by the assembled governments to assist drought and famine stricken Somalis. The Turkish government is also sponsoring a national campaign for Somali emergency relief that is seeking to raise an additional $250 million in funds from private Turkish donors.
We need remind ourselves that Turkey has done very well in the Erdoğan period of leadership by adhering to economic policies based on free market principles. Erdoğan and the Justice and Development party (AKP) are far from the orientation of such avowedly anti-capitalist leaders as Hector Chavez or the Castro brothers. Yet his ideological affinities with capitalism does not mean that Erdoğan is not responsive to the social principles of Islam or that he is being inconsistent when he calls for what used to be promoted by Western leaders under the banner of "compassionate capitalism." In some speeches to Turkish audiences Erdoğan does not hesitate to use language that incorporates Islamic thought, which probably comes very natural to him when he speaks, as he often does, spontaneously without a prepared text. This Muslim influence or style of advocacy was not common in Turkey during the Kemalist years when strictly secular politicians were running the country, and it remains somewhat unfamiliar to those Turks whose identity is derived from European models.
Erdoğan also does not hesitate to criticize the West. While in Somalia, he said: "The tragedy in Somalia is testing modern values. What we want to emphasize is that the contemporary world should successfully pass this test to prove that Western values are not hollow rhetoric." Such a provocative challenge seems warranted when the leading Western countries have turned increasingly away from the humanitarian emergency conditions affecting not only Somalia, but all the LDCs. Also neglected are the large enclaves of extreme poverty in a variety of countries that have high enough average per capita incomes, but skewed income distribution patterns favoring the ultra-rich.
We can affirm the Turkish initiative associated with the recent visit to Somalia as an imaginative and brave step to mobilize public concern. The real test of its worth comes during the years ahead when Turkey and AKP will be under self-imposed pressures to take the lead in tangibly exhibiting empathy for the most deprived segments of humanity along with displaying an increased sensitivity to the seriousness of the climate change dimensions. Of course, this Turkish role should not be interpreted as offering a free ride to other countries, including those in Europe, North America, and Asia. The governments of these countries have the resources and responsibilities to act as world citizens in an era of ever increasing globalization both in relation to pursuing economic policies that do reduce world poverty and taking on climate change for which their past and present activities are primarily responsible.
*Richard Falk is a professor emeritus of international law and practice who taught at Princeton University for 40 years. Professor Hilal Elver is an instructor at Chapman University.
How to end Somalia's famine and weaken the insurgents By Ken Menkaus, (CNN-ForeignAffairs)
The ongoing famine in Somalia has placed millions of Somalis at risk. On August 5, the U.S. government estimated that the famine had taken the lives of more than 29,000 children under the age of five. A total of 3.7 million Somalis - almost half the country's population - are in need of emergency relief, and more than 750,000 are now in refugee camps in neighboring countries.
For several weeks, it appeared that the international community would be unable to aid those suffering from starvation. But developments over the past two weeks offer at least modest hope that key obstacles to food aid delivery may be overcome.
The conditions that led to Somalia's famine were already apparent late last year. The country had been beset by corruption, political instability, and an insurgency pitting 9,000 African Union peacekeepers, protecting a weak transitional government, against al Shabab, an Islamist group with ties to al Qaeda that controls southern Somalia. The armed violence, which has raged for four and a half years, has crippled the economy and, according to the United Nations, displaced an estimated 1.4 million people.
Then, in 2010, Somalia began to suffer its worst drought in 60 years, just as food and fuel prices spiked worldwide. The crisis fully erupted in July, when the worsening humanitarian crisis reached a tipping point and the UN announced famine conditions across parts of southern Somalia. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis in famine-stricken areas fled to the capital, Mogadishu, and Kenya in search of aid.
At first, the international community could do little to aid the victims of the famine. Most relief agencies had suspended operations in Somalia two years earlier, due to attacks on their aid workers by a variety of armed groups, including al Shabab.
When the famine was announced in July, those agencies no longer possessed the networks and infrastructure necessary to operate in the country and distribute aid effectively. The organizations that remained had only a limited presence and could not boost their capacity on such short notice to deliver the amount of aid necessary to end the famine.
In addition, the United States - which had been Somalia's main source of food aid - suspended provision of food assistance in 2009 to avoid providing material benefit to al Shabab; since al Shabab controls southern Somalia, it stood to profit from U.S. resources flowing into the area. This move had a chilling effect on relief organizations, many of which feared prosecution under U.S. law for operating in places controlled by al Shabab. Perhaps most critically, in 2009 al Shabab banned almost all international aid agencies, claiming that they were Western spies and that their food assistance was a conspiracy to drive Somali farmers out of business. The group not only prevented aid distribution but also forbade famine victims from fleeing to Kenya, even going so far as to deny the existence of a famine.
Read: NATO after Libya.
To break the gridlock, the Obama administration worked feverishly in early August to provide special waivers to aid agencies, providing at least some level of protection against prosecution. This partially removed one obstacle to food relief and shifted responsibility for blocking food aid squarely to al Shabab.
Shortly thereafter, operatives from al Shabab suddenly withdrew from Mogadishu, most of of which they had occupied since 2008. Al Shabab's retreat signaled its internal weakness in the wake of a sharp drop in public support over the past two years and pressure from the African Union peacekeeping force protecting Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
The organization's fall from grace among Somalis was driven by many factors - its practice of forced recruitment, its indifference to casualties suffered by the many child soldiers it employed, its extremist interpretation of Islamic law and links to al Qaeda, and above all, its blockage of food aid to famine victims.
The strain on al Shabab is likely to grow. Some of the organization's leaders operate in territory controlled by their own clans and face intense pressure from their people to allow food in. Tensions are strong between the most radical elements in the movement and these local commanders, who might defect from the movement to permit food aid. If this happens, key parts of southern Somalia may open up to aid agencies.
Indeed, the key to ending the famine rests with these local al Shabab leaders, who are most likely to cooperate with aid agencies if allowed to do so discreetly. The United States and the UN should act accordingly, quietly working with dissident al Shabab leaders and protecting them from reprisal. The defection of al Shabab commanders would simultaneously strengthen humanitarian operations and weaken al Shabab.
To further undermine and perhaps vanquish al Shabab, Ethiopia and Kenya have considered sending in Somali militia units that they have trained and equipped. But the United States should be wary of military operations by its regional allies at this time. Foreign-inspired military operations in Somalia have a long history of triggering unintended consequences and, in this case, could rally Somalis behind al Shabab or encourage the organization to launch terrorist attacks outside Somali borders.
If al Shabab remains intact and the famine worsens, however, the international community may face a painful choice between supporting armed humanitarian intervention and resigning itself to witnessing a major famine and offering aid only to those who manage to cross into Kenya.
Either way, the Obama administration and its partners must plan for Somalia's future after the famine. It must begin by finding new ways to pressure the TFG to extend its governance over the newly liberated areas of Mogadishu. The TFG has earned a reputation for rampant corruption and incompetence, and it cannot extend direct control over the entire capital without forging alliances with existing or newly formed community authorities. The United States and its partners should encourage the TFG to understand its limits and negotiate with existing local authorities as a short-term measure.
In addition, the international community will need to address Somalia's growing refugee crisis. Over 750,000 Somalis have crossed the border into neighboring countries, with tens of thousands more arriving each month. With 440,000 Somali refugees, Dadaab camp in northern Kenya now constitutes the third-largest Somali city in the Horn of Africa. Few of these refugees will ever return home, placing enormous stress on the countries receiving them. In some respects, this tremendous flood of refugees represents Somalia's most critical challenge in the country's 20 years of state collapse and war.
As a result, all humanitarian and state-building actions should be designed to stop and reverse the flow of refugees. In terms of relief, this means getting food aid and recovery support to populations at home, before they flee in search of food. In terms of diplomacy, it means a sustained international commitment to broker and support a viable peace and a strong government in Somalia. If those two tasks can be achieved, Somalia may emerge from the famine with some hope for stability in the future.
* Ken Menkhaus is Professor of Political Science at Davidson College.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of Ken Menkaus.
To The World, A Letter from "Nobody" … By Kalpesh P. (OnIslam)
Greetings!
This is an open letter to the international community out there in the comfort of their homes and offices, as well. I would like to bring to your attention "a small matter" called "SOMALIA".
In fact you know what, forget the people at home, this is actually addressed to Mrs. Angelina Jolie-Pitt, Mr. Bono, Mr. Akon, Mr. Rajan Tata, Mr. Bill Gates, Mr. Sean Penn, Mr. Dwight Howard, Mr. Tom Brady, Mr. Barry Bonds, Mr. Wayne Rooney, Mr. Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter, Mr. Jay Z and Mrs. Beyonce Knowles and last but not least Mr. David Beckham and let's see who have I left out, oh yeah, The remaining "Royals" out there all over the world from Morocco to Monaco and on to Swaziland and Europe via Japan and on through to Brunei….!
All of the above mentioned persons are very aware and contributory to the United Nations efforts to eradicate hunger, poverty, slavery and famine. They are very generous and caring to the people of the world. But know it is time to go the direct route. Forgive me for singling any of you out. But I believe with your wealth and character, you will be able to make a difference TODAY rather than TOMORROW, when for some it is too late.
When I say wealth, I do not mean all of it! Obviously, it is yours and you earned it and your children will not have to struggle the way you did to attain it. But there is more than enough for you, them and their children's children as well. By the time most of you are finished reading or deleting this article a child will be dead by hunger and sickness. We all know the value's of money and what powers it possesses.
But these children and woman of Somalia do not and will never care for it either. They need your sincere help and compassion NOW. Go in there and cut the "red tape". The entire jurisdiction and by laws need to be overlooked. The time is now to set up makeshift hospitals - better than the one's already there, organize construction crews and rebuild that country one town and city at a time.
Bring doctors and pediatricians by the hundreds. Install orphanages and makeshift homes with running water and electricity. Encourage donations of food from big industries and "rich" countries alike. If the Arab community can carve out an oasis in the middle of the desert in less than 30 years then surely you "billionaires and Millionaires" can do the same in a less amount of time. I can foresee you all rebuilding that country again.
Those rebels and pirates can be dealt with amicably or with force, it is going to be there choice soon.
Send a coalition of troops in there and "negotiate" with them, they are people who are disadvantaged too, and if they act stupid, Take care of them the way you all know how..! We all know that…!
Put your hard earned money to good use for these suffering people. Most of you have already contributed a great deal to Africa and the international community and we as a people of the world recognize your efforts as celebrities and philanthropists. But now it is time to actually go in there with your money and influence and help these people.
I also acknowledge the fact that people in America, the UK and other developed countries are starving and suffering and have no jobs and a lot of gang warfare and the real problems are at home with unemployment and child trafficking and drug abuse. But does it really compare to a child starving till his ribs "pop out", or a mother experiencing the death of her daughter in her own hands.
Let those gangsters, pimps, and drug addicts live another day to fight another day. These famine victims would literally give a limb to be in their shoes…..their chances of survival are none.
Dr Sanjay Gupta and the CNN news Crew inspired me to address this issue after I saw their recent piece of commentary over the past weekend. I was like, that's it! I'm fed up with this situation. We have to be as bluntly and abrasively as we can with people with money.
All I'm saying it is high time we do something NOW. Two children have already died while you are contemplating this article.
That's one… two … many….
Sincerely,
Nobody
Help a nation that can't help itself (McClatchy)
What do you do with a Somalia? Americans have wanted to have as little to do as possible with the East African nation ever since 19 U.S. soldiers were killed in the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, made famous in the 2001 movie Black Hawk Down, which was based on a book by former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Mark Bowden. But Somalia won't let this country, or any other, it seems, forget that it is still here. It has become the very definition of anarchy, with only a semblance of a government that can do little to control the terrorists, pirates, and warlords who make life in the country miserable.
The world also can't forget Somalia because it is the most destitute of the nations in the Horn of Africa, suffering from the region's latest drought and famine. The United Nations says more than 3.2 million Somalis, half the nation's population, are in need of food and other aid. More than 600,000 Somalis have fled to neighbouring countries.
The world has responded to the East African crisis, which has affected about 12 million people in all. But the aid is not arriving as quickly as it should. As a result, more than a half-million children, many of them in Somalia, are fighting severe malnutrition and could die.
UNICEF recently reported that it faced a $200-million shortfall in emergency funds needed for the region, including more than $120 million for Somalia alone. Afshan Khan, a UNICEF director, urged potential donors to focus on the most vulnerable victims. "Children don't choose where they are born, to whom they are born, what type of government rules them," she said.
Still, it's understandable that some might hesitate to give to relief funds, knowing there is a good chance the aid may never reach its intended recipients.
The UN World Food Program acknowledged this week that much of the food meant for starving Somalis is being stolen and sold in markets at prices the poor could never afford.
Piles of food have been seen in Mogadishu markets with stamps showing the items came from the WFP, America's USAID, or the Japanese or Kuwaiti governments. Nevertheless, people must continue to give, hoping steps can be taken to get more of the aid to victims.
No one knows when things will be better. Somalia's civil war has lasted 20 years and has been exacerbated by U.S. efforts, aided by Ethiopia, to uproot the Islamic terrorist group al-Shabab.
But the famine victims can't wait for better days. They need help now.
18 Red Crescent officials try to provide assistance to the Somali people in Mogadishu.
Turkish Red Crescent Aid Society distributes meal and water to 700 Somalis in Mogadishu every day.
18 Red Crescent officials try to provide assistance to the Somali people in Mogadishu.
The Red Crescent is making plans to erect 2,000 tents for 10,000 Somalis in Mogadishu.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Red Crescent's aid campaign for Somalia has received more than 62 million Turkish liras (approx. 34.7 million USD) as of Tuesday.
Turkey: New Kid on the Block (Today'sZaman)
When Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Mogadishu at the weekend, along with members of his family and several Cabinet Ministers, he was doing more than simply bringing humanitarian aid to Somalia as a pious Ramadan gesture. He was asserting perhaps more firmly than ever that Turkey is now a global power to be reckoned with.
In June this year, Mr Erdogan won an unprecedented third term of office, with his mildly Islamist AK Party capturing over half the popular vote. This has helped give him the self-confidence not only to curb the power of the military -- which has so often in the past thwarted Turkey's democratic evolution -- but also to assert his country's new international status.
What we are witnessing is in fact a new stage in Turkey's diplomacy. Until recently, under the guidance of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Turkey concentrated on consolidating friendly relations with all of its neighbours, irrespective of their political system. That famously included Israel, though relations between Ankara and Tel Aviv soured considerably following the Israeli assault on the Gaza NGO aid flotilla in May last year.
Despite such setbacks, engagement with all neighbours has continued. Mr Erdogan personally tried to persuade Syria's Bashar al-Assad to introduce sweeping political reforms. Having failed in that initiative he has now called for al-Assad to step down, helping to cause a cascade of criticism against the regime in Damascus, whose only significant remaining foreign ally is Iran.
Looking westwards, Mr Erdogan's government continues to pursue the goal of membership of the European Union, despite the frosty response of some EU member states, including France and Germany. The Prime Minister remains convinced that Turkey still needs to Europeanise aspects of its economy and society, interestingly thereby building on the legacy of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk -- which provides a revealing counterweight to Mr Erodgan's 'Islamism'.
But Mr Erdogan's assertion of Turkey's new role in the world has recently extended further than Turkey's immediate neighbourhood. Turkey played a pivotal role in trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Libya; then later, when confronted with Colonel Gadaffi's obduracy, he joined in calls for Gaddafi to go.
Accordingly, this week's mission to Somalia should be seen in the wider context of Turkey's flexing its muscles, in what it hopes will be seen as a positive way. True, recent Turkish air-attacks on alleged bases of Turkey's outlawed Kurdish guerrilla movement, the PKK, inside Iraqi Kurdistan have somewhat spoil this flattering image. Nonetheless, the general thrust of Mr Erdogan's policy is clear.
Indeed, it can be summed up in a simple date: 2023. That year will see the centenary of the founding of the Turkish Republic, when Ataturk laid the bases for a state which would challenge the description of Turkey during the final decades of the Ottoman Empire as 'the sick man of Europe'. Given Turkey's extraordinary economic growth rate -- over 8 per cent last year -- and the dynamism of its youthful population, Turkey aspires to be the strongman of Europe by 2023. And to be welcomed to the top table of global players.
China gives $16mn aid to Somalia: WFP (PressTV)
More than half of all Somali children are malnourished, with six infants dying from malnutrition every day, reports indicate.
China has given its biggest single donation of $16 million for the famine-stricken people of Somalia in 2011, says the United Nations' World Food Program (WFP). China's humanitarian aid will be added to WFP's food assistance operation in Somalia where 1.5 million people are currently receiving food rations, the WFP said in a press release.
"This is an enormous gesture of goodwill from the people of China," said WFP Deputy Executive Director Ramiro Lopes da Silva.
Added to China's earlier donations, Beijing's support for the WFP exceeds $20 million for the year 2011, according to the report.
The WFP plans to provide ready-to-use supplementary foods, which are specialized nutritious products, aiming to spare young children in particular from the ravages of malnutrition.
Somalia has some of the world's highest malnutrition rates with one in four children acutely malnourished in the south of the Horn of Africa state. Prices for staple cereals in Somalia are at record levels, making any already desperate situation even worse.
According to the WFP, some eleven million people across the region are estimated to be in need of food assistance following its worst drought in 60 years.
Other countries affected include Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Djibouti.
Somalia has been experiencing one of the severest food crises in Africa, with about 3.6 million people in the country being at risk of starvation.
Iran to send 5,000-ton aid consignment to Somalia (IRNA)
Iran plans to dispatch a 5,000-ton relief aid consignment to the famine-hit Somalians by sea in near future, said director of Iran Red Crescent Society's Public Relations Department. Talking to IRNA, Pouya Hajiyan added that it will also set up a treatment center in Somalia. The consignment mainly includes pharmaceuticals as well as foodstuff needed by the Somalians.
Iran has so far sent six consignments, weighing almost 258 tons, to the famine-hit region in the horn of Africa.
The fifth and sixth humanitarian aid consignments were dispatched to the famine-hit Somalia on Monday (August 22) which has been designated as the 'Day of Solidarity with Famine-Hit Somalia'.
The fourth consignment, weighing 40 tons, was sent by air on Sunday (August 21).
Somalia, which has been engulfed in conflict for nearly two decades, has been hit worst with famine in the Horn of Africa.
Iran on Thursday called for mobilization of regional and international capacities and setting up a special UN committee to help Somalia cope with the deepening famine.
Iran calls on all countries for urgent financial and non-financial aid for the war-- and famine-stricken African state through appropriate channels.
It also urged FAO to set up a special committee along with other international bodies to facilitate despatch of relief supplies for Somalia and issue transparent reports on the situation on the ground.
According to aid agencies, the drought is the worst in decades hitting Somalia, which has been without a functioning government since warlords overthrew the country's dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
Iranian FM Minister Visits Famine Affected Nation (ShabelleMedia)
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Tuesday visited to Mogadishu, the capital of famine ravaged Somalia.
Mr. Salehi is accompanied by the authorities of IRI Red Crescent Society (IRCS). He was scheduled to hold talks with Somali authorities.
Members of the transitional federal government, including the Somali interior minster warmly welcomed the minister at Mogadishu international airport.
The Iranian delegation has also visit camps of the famine-stricken people of Somalia.
The Iranian government has recently pledged $ 25 million aid to famine affected people in the horn of African nation.
On Monday, the fourth batch of Iran's humanitarian aid, including 25 tons of rice and grains, was delivered to Somali Red Crescent Society officials to help the impoverished people in the famine-hit African country.
Iranian foreign minister visits famine-hit areas in Somalia (TeheranTimes)
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi travelled to Somalia on Tuesday to visit the famine-hit areas and oversee the process of delivering aid to the country. He returned home on the same day. The Iranian foreign minister visited the camps in Mogadishu and the one set up by the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) which has accommodated 200 households. He told reporters that Iran is also ready to set up a camp in Somalia which can accommodate 2000 famine-affected people and that he has discussed the issue with Somali officials. Iran has so far sent 280 tons of aid to Somalia. Salehi also briefed reporters on humanitarian aid that Iran has so far sent to Somalia and its future plans to help the people affected by famine. Salehi announced that Iran will ship an aid cargo weighing 5000 tons to Somalia. "In addition, at our request, an emergency meeting was held by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul to explore ways how to provide aid to the Somali people, and the Iranian economy and finance minister (Shamseddin Hosseini) attended the meeting," he added. It has been 25 days that Iran has started efforts to deliver aid to Somalis, Salehi said, adding thus far, the Islamic Republic has shipped six aid cargos to Somalia. He said that Iran was among the first countries which rushed to the aid of Somalia. Iran has so far provided Somalis with aid worth $25 million, Salehi stated. He added that the Foreign Ministry feels obligated to keep abreast of the needs and problems of the Somali people and will take measures in this regard. Salehi also said that Iranian and Somali officials will continue their negotiations over how to tackle the issue of famine, announcing that Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed will make a trip to Tehran in the near future. During his stay in Mogadishu, Salehi held separate meetings with Somali Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, Foreign Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, and the country's minister of interior and national security. He briefed the Somali officials on the humanitarian aid that the Islamic Republic has so far sent to the famine-wracked African country, saying Iran will continue sending aid cargos to Somalia and is ready to help steer the country through the crisis. The Somali prime minister thanked Iran for sending humanitarian aid to Somalia and asked the Iranian nation and government to keep on sending aid to his country. On July 20, the United Nations declared a famine in two regions of southern Somalia owing to the worst drought in decades, and appealed for urgent resources to assist millions of people in desperate need of help. It is the first time since 1991-92 that the UN has declared famine in a part of Somalia. Famine is declared when acute malnutrition rates among children exceed 30 percent, more than two people per 10,000 die per day, and people are not able to access food an other basic necessities, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
King Abdullah's call gets generous response By P.K. Abdul Ghafour (ArabNews)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah launched the national fundraising campaign for famine-hit Somalis by donating SR20 million. The telethon collected nearly SR100 million as of early Tuesday. The telethon has been extended to another day.
Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, gave SR10 million to the fund while Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Prince Naif donated SR5 million.
Petrochemical giant Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) said it would be giving SR5 million. Prince Saud bin Abdullah Thunayan, chairman of SABIC, said the donation came within the framework of the company's social responsibility.
The UN World Food Program, meanwhile, said it received a generous Saudi donation of $50 million to help save Somali children and said the amount would be used to feed more than half a million children suffering from malnutrition in the East African country.
In a statement on the occasion of the telethon, Prince Naif urged Saudi businessmen, banks, businesses and philanthropists to donate generously to the people of Somalia, who are suffering from the worst famine and drought in 60 years.
"The condition of the Somali people is very bad and they need our support," he said and urged Saudis and residents to compete with one another in helping the Somalis during the holy month when good deeds are highly rewarded. King Abdullah announced the fundraiser on Saturday.
"Inspired by the Qur'anic verses and moved by the sense of responsibility toward our brethren in Somalia ... King Abdullah has instructed that Monday, Aug. 22, will be the beginning of the fundraiser," a Royal Court announcement said.
Saudi Arabian Television Channel One led the campaign, as a number of Islamic scholars appeared on the show encouraging the public to donate generously to the people of Somalia. The channel also broadcast the amounts donated by individuals and companies. Radio Riyadh, Radio Jeddah, Radio Qur'an and Nida Al-Islam Radio are also participating in the campaign.
The National Campaign for the Relief of Somalis has allocated a unified account 10400077777201 at NCB to receive donations in cash. It has also opened an IBAN account SA43100 00020177777000104 at NCB for the purpose.
People can also make donations through NCB's toll-free number 8002443333 or logging onto the bank's website www.alahlionline.com or using the bank's ATMs.
The campaign will also accept food such as rice, sugar, flour, cooking oil, dates, milk and juices as well as tents, bed-sheets, clothes, medical appliances, medicine and first-aid materials.
Donations in Jeddah will be received at the Education Ministry's stadium in the Faisaliya district. The committee in Jeddah said it would also receive gold, jewelry, cars and other valuables.
WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said the Kingdom's contribution was in response to its appeal for funds to help save the lives of thousands of children before they fall into severe stages of malnutrition. The Saudi donation will be specifically used to feed 600,000 children for two months, he said.
Somalia has been the worst hit of several countries in East Africa affected by what the United Nations has described as the region's most severe drought in 60 years. The WFP said it was targeting food assistance to some 1.5 million people in central and northern Somalia and Mogadishu and was ready to try to reach an additional 2.2 million people in southern parts of the country. But the UN agency warned its Horn of Africa appeal was still $250 million short.
From: THE SOMALI CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION
To: Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Mohamed, President, and TFG Mogadishu
TO: Sharif Sheikh Hassan, Speaker of the Federal Parliament Mogadishu
TO: Abdi Weli Sheikh Ali, PM, TFG Mogadishu
To: Minister of Foreign Affairs, TFG Mogadishu
TO: The Civil Society Organizations Mogadishu
TO: African Union Addis Ababa
TO: The Executive Secretary of IGAD Djibuti
TO: European Union Brussels
TO: US State Department Washington DC
TO: Members of Somali contact group their respective HQ
Re; LETTER OF PROTEST AGAINST THE KENYAN BACKING IN THE FORMATION OF THE AZANIAN STATE
Deal All
We, the undersigned leaders from all walks of the Somali society are deeply concerned with the official backing of the Kenya Government in connection with the misguided Azanian State, reported earlier to have been fabricated by a French-based multi-national by the name of TOTAL through a local agent who has apparently been inserted in the Sharma'arke Cabinet with aim of making this project a reality.
The underlined leaders and civil Society organizations are very much aware that over 80% of humanitarian assistances intended for the stateless people of Somalia have deliberately been diverted from original beneficiaries and have been invested in Kenya since the collapse of Somalia's civil war in 1991 to date. Kenyan authorities therefore perceive that the return of relative peace and stability in Somalia and relocation of aid agencies back to Somali soils will eventually result chaos in the booming economy of the country. Under this scenario, Kenya will also loose huge investments Somali citizens are putting in the East light District in Nairobi and elsewhere in the country;
It's also believed that the reactivation of the strategically located Kismayo port could further jeopardize the future of the $4.5 Billion Lamu Port project intended to link the Indian Ocean with the newly independent land lock nation-South Sudan- and to less extent southern regions of Ethiopia;
The undersigned leaders are also aware that the so called Azanian State was instituted with bulk of refugees assembled from Somali refugee camps in Kenya and got them signed against cash hand-outs, out of which the Azanian State was announced and inaugurated in Kenyan Soils, with no consultations or even awareness of the bulk of ethnic groups inhabiting in the concerned regions and districts.
The undersigned leaders and civil society organizations are disturbed by the recent statement from the Kenyan Government through its Deputy Speaker of the House, who himself is of Somali stock from the North Eastern Province, a trustship area British Colonial Administration then in Kenya attached to it on temporary manner, in which the Kenyan Authorities have officially announced that its behind the Azanian State and committed to extend full support in such a way that complete partnership between counterpart institutions from both parts is affected and operationilized. A fact which suggest that each of the Azanian structures will in fact report to corresponding Kenyan institutions, instead of Somalia's central government.
What is more irritating is the definition Mohamed Haji Mukhtar has given to the Azanian territory, incorporating southern districts of capital city of Mogadishu, as well as all regions and districts in the Juba and Shabelle valley, excluding Middle Shabelle and Hiran regions, as per attached report by the author
A UN report cited in the website of the Wagosha Movement suggests that Somalia's Al-Shabab has its roots in the Majengo area of the capital Nairobi, a poor neighborhood in the vicinity of central business district near Eastleigh. The report adds that the chairman of MYC Ahmad Iman Ali, had moved to Somalia in 2009 and recruited a large number of youth from Kenyan towns such as Nairobi, Eldoret, Garissa and the port city of Mombasa.
The report said Ahmed Iman now has a fighting force of 200-500 fighters in Somalia, most of whom are Kenyans, including minors, from Majengo.
The same source informs that Mohamed Abdi Ghandi who claim the leadership of the Azanian State in exile has links with the al-shabab fighters recruited from Garisa and reported to had communicated with the manager of the Kismayo Port reported to has been recruited from Garisa. .
It should in the meantime be noted in this context the fact that, despite the urgency of the matter, the TFG leaders have not so far issued official statement in response of the above said Kenyan position. Besides this, the agent who orchestrated the Azanian Statae, Mohamed Abdi Ghandi, who committed pretrial against the unity and sovereignty of the Somali nation, is still a member of the Somali parliament. Instead of deleting his name from the Parliament, he is being protected by the parliament speaker and the president of the nation. This demonstrates that he is alone in this venture, but rather supported by unknown numbers of parliamentarians and other top government officials in the present TFI's.
In considerations of the above, we, the signatory of the present appeal:-
* Call upon the TFG to take immediate and commensurate steps to deal with the expansionist ambition Kenyan authorities demonstrated through silent annexation of greater proportion of southern Somalia. This refers to the Speaker of the Federal Parliament of Somalia reject the Kenyan position, whose Kenyan counterpart has announced the hidden agenda behind Azanian State, in order to reverse wide speculations that the speaker has masterminded and supports thet idea for political grounds;
* Call upon the TFG to reconsider the diplomatic relationship of the two countries, in the event of the Kenyan Government insisting the official position taken in connection with the backing to the Azanian State;
* Commend the President and Speaker of the Parliament take immediate actions against those in the parliament and government institutions who share the act of pretrial with Ghandi, terminate their membership in the parliament and government institutions and bring them to court in front of the people;
* Urge relevant governmental and non-governmental actors take bold measures to mobilize relevant stakeholders in the concerned regions and districts and make them aware of the serious consequences associated with formation of fake administration in the so called Azanian State;
* Alert Civil Society Organizations advocate for the national unity and integrity of the Somali nation and encourage relevant actors and stakeholders reject the Kenyan expansionist project;
* Call upon youth and women activists across the country organize mass demonstrations against the planned annexation of more than half of what has been known as the Somalia Italiana.
* Warn the Kenyan Government withdraw their statement as soon as they receive this petition;
* Stress the Somali Embassy in Kenya to immediately denounce statement earlier issued by the Counselor of the embassy Mohamed Edson, where he announced that the Azanian State has full support of the Somali Government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in the meantime advised to take action against Mohamed Edson and terminate his position in the Embassy, unless the TFG shares the stated position with him.
THE SOMALI CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION
Battle for Somali capital rages on (AlJazeera)Fighting between al-Shabab and government forces continues on outskirts of Mogadishu.
It has been more than two weeks since al-Shabab fighters pulled out of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
But fighting has not stopped. The only difference is that the battle between the armed group and government forces backed by African Union troops has moved to the outskirts of the city.
Rally in Support of Rebels' Withdraw From Mogadishu Held At the Capi (Shabelle Media Network)
Huge rally supporting the withdrawal of Al shabaab movement from the capital of Somalia on Tuesday held in Mogadishu.
Officials from the government and some Mogadishu residents have gathered at Stadium Konis to express Mogadishu had become free the Al shabaab.
The Rally is named the day of freedom as Somali Prime Minister Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali addressed the demonstrators saying that his government will keep on battling with what he called anti-peace elements and vowed they will purge from the country completely.
Hundreds of jubilant people could be seen at Stadium Konis chanting supporting peace and against the Al shabaab movement which declared its allegiance to Al Qaeda group.
For his part, the governor of Benadir regional administration Mohamoud Ahmed Nur Tarazan speaing at the rally said the Somali national army with help of AMISOM forces will continue their fighting against what he called militants and mercenaries who invaded Somalia.
During the Freedom Day Rally, security was tightened by government forces and AMISOM troops.
International envoys attend security meeting in Mogadishu (GaroweOnline)
A joint security meeting was convened Monday in Somalia's traditional capital of Mogadishu, marking the first such meeting in many years, Radio Garowe reports.
The Joint Security Committee in Mogadishu was attended by Prime Minister Gas, UN Special Envoy to Somalia Amb. Augustine Mahiga and African Union's deputy special representative to Somalia, Mr. Wafulu Wmanyinyi.
Other participants included representatives from the Arab League, IGAD regional bloc, the European Union, and representatives from countries namely Norway, USA, UK, Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
It was the 9th meeting of the Joint Security Committee, which was established in 2008 under the terms of the Djibouti Agreement that led to the formation of the current Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia, led by President Sheih Sharif Ahmed.
All the previous 8 meetings were held outside of Somalia and it marks the first time the committee held a meeting in Mogadishu.
Amb. Mahiga told reporters at a press conference in Mogadishu: "This meeting is the testament to the security progress in Somalia, especially Mogadishu where Al Shabaab group has been forced to retreat. The next meeting will be held two mother later."
Prime Minister Gas said: "The TFG considers this meeting to be very important, as it is the first time it has been held inside Somalia. It is my hope that the following meeting will be held in Somalia as well."
The Joint Security Committee is tasked with finding ways to develop and to strengthen security sector institutions in Somalia, particularly in Mogadishu.
Mogadishu has been ravaged by relentless warfare since the outbreak of the Somali civil war in 1991. Al Shabaab group has withdrawn its fighters from most of Mogadishu, but some remain in Daynile and Huriwa districts and have vowed to begin a wave of guerrilla attacks.
Shabab shoot 3 men suspected to have been spying for Kenya, Somalia (Mareeg)
Rebel group Al-Shabab has on Tuesday shot down three men whom they have accused of spying for the transitional federal government and neighboring Kenya, eyewitness said.
These were young men caught from Mogadishu and Sakow district of middle Jubba region and were accused of spying for the Somali government and Kenyan government and they were killed in a plain field in Daynile district in the capital Mogadishu, reports said.
The youth were named as Ibrahim Mohamed Abdi, Hussein Mohamed A/lahi and Abdi Bare –Kullan - all about 22 to 30 years old.
Shabab representative for Benadir region, Sheikh Mohamed Hussein Abuu A/rahman told that two of these youth were held in Mogadishu working for national security agency (NSA) of the T.F.G. while the other was caught from Sakow district in middle Jubba region spying for the Kenya government.
This is the first time Al-Shabab kills Somali men suspected for spying their government or foreign counties, but this comes as Al-Shabab was said to be removed from the capital Mogadishu.
Puntland Official Gunned Down Bosaso Port Town (Shabelle Media Network)
A high ranking Puntland official on Tuesday was gunned down by unknown armed men at the center of Bosaso, the administration's commercial town about 1,500 km north of Mogadishu.
Reports from Puntland state revealed that the assailant, who was armed with pistols, shot and killed Hala Mohamed Jama, the chief of Puntland's Darawish forces.
The reports added that the gunmen escaped from the scene immediately after the shooting, though, Puntland security forces reached the spot to investigate the incident. No group has so far claimed the responsibility of the official's murder.
The authorities of Somalia's semi-autonomous state of Puntland did not release any comments about the killing so far.
Suspected US surveillance aircraft crashes in Somalia (defenceWeb)
An unmanned aerial vehicle, suspected to belong to the United States, has crashed in the Somali capital Mogadishu. The aircraft crashed into a house in the city centre on Friday, according to the Associated Press. VOA news was told that the house was near the Libyan Embassy located in Mogadishu's southwestern Hodan district. The wreckage was subsequently taken away by African Union soldiers.
An al-Shabaab run radio station claimed that five American surveillance aircraft have crashed in southern Somalia over the last two weeks. Apparently two came down in Mogadishu, one in the insurgent stronghold of Kismayo and others around Merka. However, such claims are hard to verify.
It is not clear who was operating the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), but the aircraft was most likely operated by United States forces as the US has flown UAVs over Somalia for several years, fighting pirates as well as the al Qaeda linked al-Shabaab militia. Numerous al-Shabaab leaders have been killed or wounded in strikes by UAVs, which apparently belong to the US Special Operations Command, according to the Washington Post.
Transitional government forces, backed by the African Union, are battling the al-Shabaab insurgency movement for control of the country. Although al-Shabaab recently withdrew from Mogadishu, some fighters still remain in the city.
It is believed the UAVs operate out of the US/French base in nearby Djibouti, known as Camp Lemonnier.
The US also operates UAVs in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya and Yemen. Predator drones have been flying strike missions against Libyan targets since April and Predators have been patrolling Yemen's skies, occasionally firing missiles at high-value targets (such as the attack on cleric Anwar al-Awlaki in May).
According to the New York Times, the US now has around 7 000 UAVs and has asked Congress for almost US$5 billion for UAVs next year.
The United States has also been supporting its allies in the Somali region. In June it allocated US$145 million worth of military equipment to North and East African nations in order to help combat terrorist threats in the region.
The biggest recipients were Burundi and Uganda, which were allocated around US$45 million worth of equipment, including four unmanned aerial vehicles. The Associated press reports that the equipment includes four AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven miniature unmanned aerial vehicles.
Burundi and Uganda are heavily involved in Somalia, with around 9000 peacekeepers in the troubled nation. The two countries in March pledged to send an additional 4000 troops to Somalia.
ONLF Statement:
Unholy Tri-partite deal Between China, Ethiopia and Hargeisa Administration * (OgadenOnline)
The recently publicised deal between China, Ethiopia and the Northern Somalia regional administration of Hargeisa regarding building a refinery in Berbera port of Somalia, a gas pipeline for Ogaden Gas and Oil, and a proposed road through Ogaden Somali Territory is a pipe dream that will not go beyond the drawing boards of those who hatched it.
The regime of Meles Zenawi, with the help of such groups as the Hargeisa administration is committing genocide in Ogaden by embargoing the people of the Ogaden at a time of famine and denying them trade while using aid as a weapon of war. Tens of thousands are perishing due to this and the War Crimes committed by Meles Zenawi Army (the so-called Ethiopian National Defence Forces).
Since the Chinese company is aware that Ethiopia is committing those crimes, the decision to assist Meles Zenawi to exploit forcefully Ogaden resources, constitutes an act of War against the Ogaden people.
Therefore, after extensive consultations with all sectors of the Ogaden Society, the Ogaden National Liberation Front and the Ogaden people have decided to undertake all necessary measures to defend their resources and territory against all involved in this unholy alliance against the people of Ogaden. Such measures will include diplomatic and legal action and if necessary armed resistance.
ONLF requests the international community to assist the Ogaden people in rebuffing this new threat that could re-ignite the cold-war again in the Horn of Africa. Hundreds of thousands of Ogaden people lost their lives due to the cold war of the sixties and seventies.
* Issued by Ogaden National Liberation Front
- FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD (with an influence on Somalia and the water wars) :
"We're fighting terrorists, pirates, and militias. What happened to the days when we fought uniformed armies?"
SEE ALL THE ARTICLES BELOW LIKE A PICTURE, A COLLAGE AND LET THE MAIN COLOUR SINK IN. THEN LISTEN TO THE FINE TUNES AND DETAILS AND COME TO YOUR OWN CONCLUSION. WE TRY TO BALANCE THE FALSE PICTURE IMPLANTED INTO YOUR HEARTS AND MINDS BY THE MAINSTREAM'S RULERS - THE POWERS THAT BE. .- / .- / .- .- .=
Four US drones downed in Afghanistan and Somalia By Hashimi (mathaba)
Mujahideen claimed they have shot down two more US Aircrafts on Monday in Balkh province near Mazar-e-Sharif city. This brings the number of US aircrafts downed in Afghanistan over the past five days to six. Local civilians say Taliban have taken parts of these drones for research.
Also Al-Shabab Mujahideen have shot down two drones on Sunday near the Somali capital. Western media, including Voice of America, have confirmed the news.
Mujahideen have intensified the battle across Afghanistan this year, crumbling all NATO countries; the economy of these countries is badly affected by this war which costs them billions every week.
U.N. Sets Donors Conference for Somalia Famine By Frances D'Emilio (AP)
The emergency pledging conference to be held on Wednesday in Kenya will seek $1.6 billion in aid over the next year. Efforts to save starving Somalis and others suffering from drought in East Africa were ratcheted up Monday, with U.N. agencies pitching for $1.6 billion from donor countries and private companies being urged to provide trucks, ships and other logistical aid to speed food to the malnourished.
Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization chief Jacques Diouf told an emergency meeting on the Horn of Africa crisis that a pledging conference would be held in Nairobi, Kenya, on Wednesday to seek $1.6 billion in aid over the next 12 months, with $300 million of that aid coming in the next three months.
Monday's emergency session was held at the request of France, which is making development of agriculture in poorer countries a priority in international policies.
The speed of the stepped-up efforts appeared to take some by surprise. The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. food agencies, Ertharin Cousin, told reporters she didn't immediately know if her country would be boosting its contribution on top of what it has already given.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced last week that the U.S. will provide an additional $28 million in aid for Somalis suffering from hunger, on top of more than $431 million in emergency assistance to the eastern Horn of Africa this year.
The United Nations' top humanitarian and relief official, Valerie Amos, told reporters that so far just under $1 billion has been received from donors so far, but that "we need another billion."
Germany said Monday it is donating an additional euro15 million ($22 million) in humanitarian aid for the worsening famine. That doubles the amount pledged earlier this year by Berlin for the drought problem.
More than 11 million people are estimated to need help in East Africa's worst drought in 60 years, in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea and South Sudan. But Somalia is the "epicenter of the famine," said U.N. World Food Program executive director Josette Sheeran.
Some mothers have had to make the "horrifying choice of saving the strongest" of their children while leaving the weakest behind to die as starving families make the long, desperate trek from Somalia to refugee camps across borders in search of food aid, said Sheeran.
Compounding the drought are soaring food prices.
In Somalia's case, two decades of fighting by warlords have complicated its security. Currently, Islamist militants in the al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabab militia are attempting to overthrow a weak U.N.-backed government, worsening security for U.N. and other aid organizations.
Al-Shabab signaled earlier this month that it would accept aid groups it had previously banned, but changed course last week, saying groups like WFP are not welcome. The militia denies there's a famine, disputing the U.N.'s assessment that tens of thousands of people have already died.
The World Bank's promise Monday of more than $500 million to help the drought victims noted that while the money would be spent on projects in Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti, in Somalia, the funds would only be used "where circumstances permit." That was a reference to al-Shabab.
The U.N. World Food Program has said it cannot reach 2.2 million Somalis at risk of starvation.
"We're trying to help the people where they are," said Amos. She was referring to the growing numbers of desperate Somalis who, exhausted and carrying children near death, reach relief camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.
Also trying to do their part are private sector companies. A former CEO of TNT, Peter Bakker, told The Associated Press that he will working the phones later Monday calling top executives of food production and transport companies to see what may be able to contribute to help the U.N. speed food to starving people in the Horn of Africa.
U.N. officials say that in some parts of Somalia more than half the population suffers acute malnutrition.
Amos was asked about what she called "extremely serious" allegations in media reports that some U.N. officials were asking payments to let refugees receive food at the camps. "We will be investigating these allegations," she told reporters.
At least one U.N. official at the Rome meeting said Africa must do more to feed its own people. The Horn of Africa famine is "an indictment of our leaders," said Kanayo F. Nwanze, a Nigerian who heads the International Fund for Agricultural Development, a U.N. agency trying to help small-scale farming in poor countries.
World Bank Calls Horn Of Africa Famine Manmade By Axel Hildebrand (reuters/Germany)
The famine in the Horn of Africa is manmade - the result of artificially high prices for food and civil conflict, the World Bank's lead economist for Kenya Wolfgang Fengler told Reuters Tuesday.
"This crisis is manmade," Fengler said in a telephone interview. "Droughts have occurred over and again, but you need bad policymaking for that to lead to a famine."
Some 12.4 million people in the Horn of Africa - including Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti - are affected by the worst drought in decades, according to the United Nations. Tens of thousands of people have already died.
Fengler said the price of maize, or corn, was significantly higher in east Africa than in the rest of the world due to controls on local food markets.
"In Kenya, the price for corn is 60 to 70 percent above the world average at the moment," he said. "A small number of farmers are controlling the market which is keeping prices artificially high."
The World Bank said Monday its Food Price index increased 33 percent in July from a year ago and stayed close to 2008 peak levels, with large rises in the prices for maize and sugar.
High food and energy prices have stoked inflation pressures around the globe, but the problem has been more acute in developing nations.
"Maize is cheaper in the United States and in Germany than it is in eastern Africa," said Fengler.
Somalia's two-decade long war is also seen as exacerbating the famine in the Horn of Africa.
Some 3.7 million Somalis risk starvation in two regions of south Somalia controlled by militant group al Shabaab, which has blamed food aid for creating dependency and blocked humanitarian deliveries in the past.
The group has accused the United Nations of exaggerating the severity of the drought and politicizing the crisis.
NOW THE WORLD BANK SAYS WHAT EVERYBODY ALREADY FEELS - HYPOCRISY AT BEST
Africa famine: soaring food prices intensifying crisis, report warns By Suzanne Goldenberg (TheGuardian)
World Bank says shortages and near-historic prices for staple crops have contributed to the crisis in the Horn of Africa
A volatile global food supply is deepening the humanitarian catastrophe in the Horn of Africa, the World Bank warns in a new report.
Shortages and near-historic prices for staples such as corn, wheat and sugar have magnified the impact of the drought now ravaging the Horn of Africa, the Food Price Watch report said.
"While the emergency in the Horn of Africa was triggered by prolonged droughts, especially in areas struggling with conflict and internal displacement such as Somalia, food prices that are near the record high levels seen in 2008 also contributed to the situation," the bank said in a statement.
More than 12 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in the Horn of Africa, the report said. In some areas of Somalia, more than 40% of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition.
The report also warned that production of biofuels – specifically America's production of corn ethanol – was contributing to rising food prices.
In global terms, food prices last month were on average 33% higher than a year ago, the report warned. Corn, or maize, has risen by 84%; sugar 62% and wheat 55%.
But the price rises were particularly severe in Africa. Corn prices doubled in Kampala, Mogadishu and Kigali over the last year, the report said.
Sorghum prices have increased more than fourfold, 240%, over last year in parts of Somalia, the report said.
It blamed the soaring prices on poor local harvests as well as shrinking global food stocks.
The report said corn stocks were at their lowest levels since the 1970s creating a situation in which "even small shortfalls in yields can have an amplified effects on prices", the report warned.
US production of corn ethanol – which the report said rose by 8% in the first three months of this year – was also eating into supplies.
"Another factor that adds to the potential upward pressure on the price of maize is the diversion into the production of biofuels," the report said.
Aid organisations have also connected rising food prices to the use of food crops for energy.
Some prices had fallen back slightly since last February, but the bank warned the volatility still left the most vulnerable populations, in the Horn of Africa, dangerously exposed.
"Persistently high food prices and low food stocks indicate that we're still in the danger zone," the bank's president, Robert Zoellick, said in a statement.
COMMENT: BY porsupuesto:
Where are the politicians when they are truly needed?
Nowhere. Deafening silence. Undisguisable, unmissable void.
This situation will only worsen as peak oil and fuel prices drive the biofuel market further into the landbank previously reserved for food production. We are meant to produce an extra 70% food from the existing landbank plus no more than an extra 10% of new land (often secured at the expense of carbon- benefiting forest with its biodiversity) by 2050 to keep within the level of starvation predicted and allowed for by the UN. That alone can only be delivered with a substantial increase in intensive agriculture on that landtake - which in turn requires more fertiliser of which a key element is Phosphorus.
But Phosphorus is running out. Long before known supplies of it are exhausted, it will drive fertiliser and food prices upwards- just as it did in 2007/08 when there was a shorter term supply crisis. And all the time, more and more people will starve because they cannot afford food - long before there is not even enough food.
At present, the biofuels share of agriculture is expanding way beyond UN allowances- and the UN has NOT allowed for the exacerbating effects of Phosphorus scarcity and price and food price.
Vacuous lectures on morality echo hollowly when the OECD countries are funding a landgrab in Africa and elsewhere to fuel SUVs. The most dispossessed; the poorest, will starve and literally millions will die so that some OECD countries and their associates can hedge fuel prices.
So David Cameron, where is your moral compass? Why do you appear to put a lower price on fuel ahead of the price of a childs life? Where is the morality in the EU grabbing land in Africa for biofuels that is needed for food? What are you doing about phosphorus?. Why, in a democracy, are you not explaining these risks rather than suppressing or ignoring the issues?
We used to hang children for stealing handkerchiefs. Is that what the new property-vigilant authoritarianism betokens? Where is the morality in a society that places more value on gasoline than a human life?. What logic underpins a self- professed 'morality' that rewards and protects acts of criminal disregard for the economic welfare of the majority by a tiny minority in high finance but would criminalise protest?
Just how big does a crime have to be now before it is without penalty?
This latest political 'morality' is no morality; just pure amorality. This is the same basic amorality that fosters a political culture in which the ends justifies the means; Machiavelli's rules rule, in which the 'unity is strength' slogan of real fascism flourishes. It is itself beyond amoral: it is immoral.
The law is just when none stand above it. There are now so many free passes to it here for the select that our constitutional settlement is degenerating into a oligarchy ruled by corruptible, corrupting and corrupt politicians whose own self-interest and self-importance advertised them as morally bankrupt long before any of them actually engaged in any act of petty corruption. The petty corruption, the expenses - are not the problem. They are a symptom. The lack of appreciation for and care of democracy and the political accountability essential to it, are the real cancer and neither our political class wedded to the power of the media nor our corrupted media wedded to the power of the politicians will provide a surgeon to cut it out when their ugly symbiosis would be ended by that. Where is the political sustainability for democracy when double standards and deceit are the daily currency of politics? When the opinion of tabloid hacks is worth more than children's lives? How sustainable is democracy when political management degenerates to managing newspapers outputs and colluding with press barons to suppress public opinion (as with Iraq). When political management degenerates to these levels, the system itself is corrupting and the promise of democracy is dying.
You will be represented if you are important enough (judged by our standards).
No one, including any politician overburdened by ego, can address the moral failures of a society without addressing the whole spectrum of immorality in that society. You can pretend to, Mr Cameron, but not with any moral legitimacy because that partiality, especially in a democracy, is immoral and antidemocratic.
So Mr Cameron; here is a true moral crisis of a magnitude that will kill millions and project millions more into starvation than the UN had prepared for, if biofuels are not legislated against and regulated - at least until this food crisis has passed. So when are you going to take an international lead on this issue and save lives?
BETTER THAN LISTENING TO THE wORLDbANK HYPOCRISY IS TO WATCH: ZEITGEIST - MOVING ON
(The small initial letters are no typos, rather an expression of detest and a moral accusation !) SCARCITY = PROFIT (for the few!)
Where is the Drone that feeds healthy food to starving Somali children to give them a chance?Join: http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/
http://www.thevenusproject.com/
Founded in 2008, The Zeitgeist Movement is a Sustainability Advocacy Organization which conducts community based activism and awareness actions through a network of Global/Regional Chapters, Project Teams, Annual Events, Media and Charity Work.
The Movement's principle focus includes the recognition that the majority of the social problems which plague the human species at this time are not the sole result of some institutional corruption, scarcity, a political policy, a flaw of "human nature" or other commonly held assumptions of causality in the activist community. Rather, The Movement recognizes that issues such as poverty, corruption, collapse, homelessness, war, starvation and the like appear to be "Symptoms" born out of an outdated social structure.
While intermediate Reform steps and temporal Community Support are of interest to The Movement, the defining goal here is the installation of a new socioeconomic model based upon technically responsible Resource Management, Allocation and Distribution through what would be considered The Scientific Method of reasoning problems and finding optimized solutions.
This "Resource-Based Economic Model" is about taking a direct technical approach to social management as opposed to a Monetary or even Political one. It is about updating the workings of society to the most advanced and proven methods Science has to offer, leaving behind the damaging consequences and limiting inhibitions which are generated by our current system of monetary exchange, profits, corporations and other structural and motivational components.
The Movement is loyal to a train of thought, not figures or institutions. In other words, the view held is that through the use of socially targeted research and tested understandings in Science and Technology, we are now able to logically arrive at societal applications which could be profoundly more effective in meeting the needs of the human population. In fact, so much so, that there is little reason to assume war, poverty, 95% of most crime and many other money-based scarcity effects common in our current model cannot be resolved over time
The range of The Movement's Activism & Awareness Campaigns extend from short to long term. The long term view, which is the transition into a Resource-Based Economic Model, is a constant pursuit and expression, as stated before. However, in the path to get there, The Movement also recognizes the need for transitional Reform techniques, along with direct Community Support.
For instance, while "Monetary Reform" itself is not an end solution proposed by The Movement, the merit of such legislative approaches are still considered valid in the context of transition and temporal integrity. Likewise, while food and clothes drives and other supportive projects to help those in need today is also not considered a long term solution, it is still also considered valid in the context of helping others in a time of need, while also drawing awareness to the principle goal.
The Zeitgeist Movement also has no allegiance to a country or traditional political platforms. It views the world as a single system and the human species as a single family and recognizes that all countries must disarm and learn to share resources and ideas if we expect to survive in the long run. Hence, the solutions arrived at and promoted are in the interest to help everyone on the planet Earth, not a select group.
U.S. Rep. Kucinich: NATO's Libya Generals Should Be Hauled To Court By Reid J. Epstein (Mathaba/Quoriana)
NATO commanders who authorized the Libya bombing campaign should be "held accountable" to international law and hauled before the world court for civilian deaths, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) said Tuesday.
"NATO's top commanders may have acted under color of international law, but they are not exempt from international law," Kucinich said in a statement released by his office. "If members of the Qadhafi regime are to be held accountable, NATO's top commanders must also be held accountable through the International Criminal Court for all civilian deaths resulting from bombing. Otherwise, we will have witnessed the triumph of a new international gangsterism."
Kucinich, who in March suggested President Barack Obama's authorizing of airstrikes on Libya were "an impeachable offense" and sponsored a July measure to defund the military effort there, criticized what he called an evolving rationale for the NATO offensive.
The seven-term Cleveland congressman released his statement just as forces loyal to Qadhafi appeared to have abandoned their defense of his heavily fortified Tripoli compound. It was not clear where Qadhafi is, though a Russian chess official said he spoke with the dictator and reported he remains in the capital.
"The reasons for the U.S./NATO intervention in Libya keep changing," he said. "First, it was about the potential for a massacre in Benghazi. When the massacre did not materialize and once the war against Libya was under way, the reasons for intervention changed."
And Kucinich questioned the motivation behind U.S. intervention in Libya.
"Was the United States, through participation in the overthrow of the regime, furthering the aims of international oil corporations in pursuit of control over one of the world's largest oil resources?" he asked. "Did the United States at the inception of the war against Libya align itself with elements of Al Qaeda, while elsewhere continuing to use the threat of Al Qaeda as a reason for U.S. military intervention, presence and occupation?"
The Battle for Libya
Libyan Rebels' Immediate Security Concerns By George Friedman (STRATFOR)
Since Libyan National Transitional Council forces entered the capital city, the council's two top officials have issued statements to remind the rebels that victory is not assured. Though the rebel council has announced the end of the Moammar Gadhafi era, it also continues to warn that areas of Tripoli remain unpacified, loyalist strongholds remain in the cities of Sirte and Sabha, and some loyalist forces could be on their way to the capital from the city of Zlitan.
Analysis
Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, head of Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC), and the other top-ranking NTC official, Mahmoud Jibril, have issued several statements since NTC forces entered the city of Tripoli on Aug. 21. The leaders' statements were meant to temper the behavior of the rebels, who feel victory is at hand, and allay international concerns that Libya could soon descend into chaos. The NTC also wants to assure residents of areas that were until recently under Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi's control that NTC forces mean them no harm. Re-establishing security is the NTC's main goal, but obstacles remain.
Gadhafi's remaining forces will continue fighting. Abdel-Jalil said Aug. 22 that the Gadhafi era was over and that the rebels control almost all of Tripoli. However, he conceded that the Gadhafi compound at Bab al-Aziziya "and the surrounding areas" remain unpacified. The NTC has admitted that the fight is not over—not only in Tripoli but in other areas of the country as well.
Jibril warned Aug. 22 that the rebels needed to be aware that some of Gadhafi's forces were approaching from the east. This was likely in reference to the forces that have been holding the line at Zlitan for several weeks in the face of a westward advance by Misurata-based rebels. During the simultaneous move toward the capital from Zawiya on Aug. 21, the Misurata rebels were able to push Gadhafi's men out of Zlitan but did not advance much farther west than that. With the capital under siege and Tripoli's eastern districts experiencing a rash of uprisings, the NTC is concerned that the loyalist forces previously in Zlitan will return to the capital to fight.
Most of Libya is under NTC control, but Gadhafi strongholds remain in Sirte and the Fezzan Desert city of Sabha. Abdel-Jalil addressed this issue directly in an Aug. 22 interview. Sirte is Gadhafi's hometown and, like Sabha, is a bastion of the Gadhafi tribe, which has relied upon the Libyan leader's reign for its privileged position. These likely will be the last groups of loyalists to surrender. Abdel-Jalil acknowledged that these areas remain unpacified and voiced an expectation that the inhabitants of both cities would "rise up from within" as the regime's position continues to weaken. Later in the day, he claimed that Sirte was under siege, while Al Jazeera reported that electricity to the city had been cut and communications disrupted. Multiple senior Gadhafi officials have reportedly taken refuge in Sirte.
According to varying reports from rebel fighters in Tripoli and also Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, Gadhafi's forces retain control of 10-20 percent of Tripoli. The exact amount of territory under loyalist control is almost as much of a mystery as what became of the Libyan army's Khamis Brigade. Commanded by Gadhafi's son Khamis, the brigade purportedly was the strongest line of defense protecting the capital, yet on Aug. 21 the forces put up almost no resistance as rebels pushed eastward from Zawiya. An Aug. 22 Al Arabiya report claimed that Khamis Gadhafi was leading the brigade from the Gadhafi compound at Bab al-Aziziya into central Tripoli, though this was never confirmed, nor was an Al Jazeera report that his corpse had been discovered alongside the body of Libyan intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi in Tripoli. Khamis' whereabouts, like those of his father and several other brothers, are unclear.
It is possible that the most highly trained Libyan soldiers in Tripoli have retreated to entrenched urban positions from which they plan to conduct an urban insurgency. Were this to happen, it would be very difficult for NTC forces to pacify them, as the Gadhafi forces have access to large amounts of heavy weaponry and know the city's terrain. But an insurgency in Tripoli likely would not duplicate what happened in Iraq after the U.S. invasion; Tripoli has no deep lines of supply, like those that ran into Iraq via the Iranian and Syrian borders, and there is no foreign occupier to use as a point to rally massive numbers of people.
So rather than an Iraqi-style insurgency, perhaps a bigger concern is that the situation in Libya could become similar to those seen after the overthrow of the regimes in Somalia in 1991 and Afghanistan in 1992. In those cases, the factions that took down the incumbent governments began fighting with one another—and some of the remnants of the former regimes—in a free-for-all battle for control after failing to agree on a power-sharing formula.
Libya:
NATO Psy-Op Collapses, ICC Lies Exposed, Qaddafi Prevails Again By Tony Cartalucci (Mathaba)
Qaddafi's son Saif Al-Islam "confirmed" to be captured and ready to be transferred to the Hague by the illegitimate International Criminal Court, is actually very much free and leading efforts to drive out NATO backed Al Qaeda thugs from Tripoli. Once again a defiant Qaddafi has prevailed against the full might of NATO aggression including a murderous bombing campaign followed by NATO special forces on the ground supporting mobs of US/UK/French/Qatari backed Al Qaeda thugs which swarmed Tripoli over the weekend. "Illustrious" news agencies from the Qatari government's AlJazeera, to the now exposed frauds at CNN, BBC, Reuters, AP, AFP have been caught perpetuating a concerted war propaganda campaign in order to break the will of both Libya and in particular Tripoli.
Reports that Qaddafi's son Saif Al-Islam was "captured" by Libyan rebels by the disingenuous media outlets and "confirmed" by the Fortune 500 contrived International Criminal Court (ICC), who went as far as saying preparations were already under way to transfer Saif to the Hague, are now confirmed lies with Saif Al-Islam very much free, appearing to journalists at the Rixos Hotel in southern Tripoli flanked by Libyan military forces and very much leading what appears to be a significant Libyan government counterattack. It appears that NATO operations are ending just as they began, based on a verified pack of lies. (Please see March's "Libya: Another War, Another Pack of Lies")
Everything we have been told, from President Obama's teleprompter readings to Luis Moreno-Ocampo of the ICC's claims of Saif's "confirmed" capture, to the mainstream media and the Al Qaeda infested "Transitional National Council" are now systematically being exposed as overt, verified lies as part of what may be the biggest psychological operation in modern history. Al Jazeera who was already featuring lofty "The Last Days of Gaddafi" narratives is now forced to face reality and irrefutable evidence that the rebel operations in Tripoli were clearly over-hyped war propaganda and the reality is Qaddafi and the Libyan people have called NATO's bluff.
To illustrate just how absurd the Western media has become as their lies break upon the rocks of reality, a recent farcical attempt to save face regarding Saif's appearance before journalists at the Riox included an Al Jazeera report claiming that rebel leaders had confirmation Saif al-Islam was arrested "but have no idea how he escaped." To help out the media it might be suggested that Saif was never captured in the first place and that reports of his arrest were simply a ploy to embolden rebels and make it appear as if the momentum had swung in favor of NATO. (For more on US State Department lies rehashed through "media" please see: " Libyan Rebels Lying Left and Right")
Image: Here, the International Criminal Court " confirms" the now verified lie that Saif Al-Islam was being held by rebels. ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, in a fit of unmitigated lies claimed, "we have confidential information from different sources that we have within Libya confirming this." He would continue, "it is very important to make clear there is an obligation to surrender Saif to the ICC in accordance with the Security Council resolution." Along with UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon's claim that the "international community" is obligated to comply to the ICC we see unfolding a criminal organization of liars and degenerates of unprecedented proportions.
What follows next is unsure. With Council on Foreign Relations president Richard Haas and others calling for an expedient landing of NATO occupation forces it seems they above all others knew just how tenuous the rebels' hold on Tripoli was. As explained previously, the war in Libya goes beyond pilfering the nation's material wealth, it is about establishing the Wall Street-London international order and its primacy over the nation-state. A NATO failure in Libya would infinitely complicate planned operations against Syria, Iran, and along Russia and China's peripheries. While it appears that NATO's last ditch murder spree has failed, with so much on the table, everything from continuous carpet bombing to a NATO land invasion under the guise of UN "peace monitors" or Haas' NATO occupation forces are possibilities already being planned.
What we do know is how desperate the corporate-financier elite are and how absolute their control is over the mainstream media. Such a large, wide scale disinformation campaign is only possible if each news agency, from AP, Reuters, BBC, Guardian, Telegraph, New York Times, CNN, Al Jazeera and others, are completely compromised by corporate-financier interests. The following lists shows that indeed many of these "news agencies" share consortium memberships with some of the largest corporate-financier interests on earth presenting an immense conflict of interest obviously producing astronomically duplicitous improprieties.
Council on Foreign Relations
Chatham House ( Major Corporate Members)
Chatham House ( Corporate Members)
Chatham House ( Corporate Partners)
When we see Reuters sitting side-by-side oil giants like BP, Exxon, Chevron within the halls of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Chatham House and then see reports gloating over Western oil companies moving in to replace Chinese and Russian investments in Libya, their duplicity and lack of independence in their reporting becomes glaringly obvious. These media organizations are in fact PR fronts for the Fortune 500 and their collective goal of implementing a global empire, nation to nation. For now, they are currently obsessed over Libya and the implications its conclusion will have on their future planned conquests, the next being Syria.
It would be a good idea for those following the current NATO murder spree in Libya to abandon any trust in Reuters, BBC, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC, and any of the "reputable" newspapers wasting paper and space on our nations' newsstands, all of whose fates are tied directly to the corporate-financier interests pinning their hopes on a NATO victory in Libya. Instead, we must commit ourselves to vetting reliable alternative news sources as well as committing ourselves to the responsible of researching the news of the day on our own. Let this be proof positive as to how essential it is to boycott and replace everything eminating from the Fortune 500 including their army of professional liars also known as the "mainstream media."
Update: You can't make this up - the International Criminal Court (ICC) now claims it never confirmed that Qaddafi's son Saif Al-Islam was captured. Here is the Telegraph article quoting ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo as having indeed confirmed his capture. Here is a farcical Reuters report now claiming such a confirmation was never claimed. ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo should resign, so should editors at both the Telegraph and Reuters and a myriad of other media agencies complicit in spreading this willful and malicious propaganda.
German FM Westerwelle plays down engagement in Libya (TheLocal)
Although Germany is eager to help Libya after the ousting of dictator Muammar Qaddafi, discussion of any potential engagement in the North African country is premature, said Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Monday evening.
The statement by Westerwelle to public broadcaster ZDF came amid concerns about Germany becoming involved in a quagmire in Libya following what appeared to the be the imminent collapse of Qaddafi's regime.
"It may be that Libya is developing into the new Somalia," said Peter Scholl-Latour, a former journalist and one of German's most respected Middle East experts. "The Islamists are waiting."
Although the German military has not been directly involved in the NATO military campaign to weaken Qaddafi's regime, it appears possible that peacekeeping soldiers could eventually be sent to the country.
Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière suggested they could be used to maintain peace in Libya and help prop up democratic institutions.
Westerwelle avoided speaking directly about German military involvement and said Libyans must decide their own future.
But he also promised future German assistance to help create a vibrant civil society, independent judiciary and ensure free and fair elections.
As of Tuesday, however, much remained unclear and in flux. Despite reports of his capture, one of Qaddafi's sons visited journalists overnight and was taking them on tours of the capital city Tripoli.
And in the face of the rebellion's lightning march into Tripoli, NATO members, including Germany, were mulling what to do next – including the possibility of the transitional government will soon be asking for direct military assistance.
"NATO should consider very carefully how it would react in such a case," Ruprecht Polenz, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives and the chairman of the Bundestag's foreign affairs committee, told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper.
Chavez: "We only recognize one Libyan government, the one led by Muammar Gaddafi!"
Venezuela and Libya leading the world revolution for people power, distribution of national assets and resources, rejection of private banker control Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday he will only recognize a Libyan government led by his friend and ally Muammar Gaddafi and accused the United States of inciting the country's civil war.
Chavez, who has been the most vocal world leader to support Gaddafi, accused Western powers of riding roughshod over international law by backing Libya's rebels in their revolt.
"This is kicking, spitting on the most basic elements of international law," he said. "Where are the international rights? This is like the caveman era."
Venezuela's socialist leader spoke after new reports of rebels overrunning Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli. The reports showed images of flags that had easily been doctored to replace the green flags with the flag of rebels, a frequent occurrence which even has an entire film set in Qatar being used by Jazeera TV for the purpose.
During six months of NATO-led rebellion against Gaddafi more than 30 bankrupt countries of out 192 in the world, including the United States and major European Union countries, have moved to recognize the rebel al-Qaida dominated National Transitional Council as the governing authority in Libya.
"Now president Obama said he will collaborate economically with the 'new government', which of course we do not recognize," Chavez said. Economic collaboration means stealing Libya's abundant wealth that had been shared around Africa without any debt nor borrowing from banks, giving Libya the highest standard of living in Africa.
Libyan citizens enjoyed perks which are the dream of those in the west: free unlimited health and dental care, free unlimited funding for education anywhere in the world, rent-free house, $60,000 to couples upon getting married. This was carried out in line with the "Third Universal Theory" as explained in The Green Book which Colonel Muammar Qaddafi authored after leaving government in 1979.
According to this formula, all natural resources belong to everyone, so the oil and other assets of Libya, revenue is totalled each year, and then after expenditure on all required free education, health, married couples start-up boost, free electricity supply to each home, the remaining money is then divided by the entire population and deposited into their personal bank accounts -- currently around $500 free money each month, whilst they also may additionally earn from any work they do without this being affected.
"We only recognize one government, the one led by Muammar Gaddafi," Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said to applause as he presided over a cabinet meeting broadcast live on state TV.
The 57-year-old former soldier has repeatedly accused Western powers of fuelling the conflict to steal Libya's oil and on Tuesday said they were waging a "dogs' war."
"It's harsh but true ... They arranged this war," Chavez said, referring to the United States.
"They provided the arms, the mercenaries. They better not attempt to apply the Libyan formula to Venezuela or we'll have to show them our power."
Both Chavez and Gaddafi are anti-imperialist revolutionaries and forged a friendship during half a dozen encounters in the past decade.
Chavez studied Gaddafi's " Green Book" outlining his political philosophy while in the army, and both men have given each other numerous gifts and awards as signs of friendship and solidarity.
After Libya's assets abroad at the outset of the war on Libya earlier this year, including $32 billions ear-marked for the creation of an African Monetary Fund, African Central Bank, and African Investment Bank, which would have spelt the end of World Bank and International Monetary Fund control of the African continent, this September, Venezuela has set the way forward for other nations to withdraw funds from western banks as well as the gold reserves.
Street fighting rages in Tripoli as Gaddafi loyalists fight rearguard action By Martin Chulov and Luke Harding in Tripoli and Julian Borger (guardian.co.uk)
Parts of the Libyan capital hold out in last attempt to stop rebels tightening their grip on the city A Libyan rebel fighter flashes the victory sign at the Bab al-Aziziya compound. Photograph: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters Fierce street battles are continuing to rage in parts of Tripoli after Muammar Gaddafi vowed to fight to the death and his supporters fought a rearguard campaign with snipers, mortars and rockets in a last attempt to stop rebel forces consolidating their grip on the Libyan capital.
A day after the rebels had celebrated their capture of the regime's stronghold at Bab al-Aziziya, the compound came under heavy fire from the pro-Gaddafi area of Abu Salim and extensive woods around the city zoo, which rebels said were "infested" with snipers.
Green flags, the symbol of the ousted regime, and pro-Gaddafi gunmen could still be seen in front of a large building on the edge of the woods once used by Saif al-Islam, one of Gaddafi's son and the presumed heir to his reign, to receive guests.
Gaddafi loyalists, who the rebels said were mostly Arab mercenaries, also fired on the main road leading to Tripoli airport.
Rebels said 400 people had been killed and 2,000 injured in the battle for Tripoli so far.
Meanwhile, rebel columns closed in on the coastal city of Sirte, Gaddafi's birthplace, where loyalist troops were continuing to fire Scud missiles at the rebel-held town of Misrata.
It was unclear whether the fighting represented a desperate last stand by regime's supporters or the start of a guerrilla campaign by a "stay-behind" force, modelled on the tactics Saddam Hussein and his top lieutenants used in Iraq in 2003.
A pro-Gaddafi radio station broadcasted statements by the deposed leader claiming he had "discreetly" toured the capital and "did not feel that Tripoli was in danger". He reportedly said the retreat from his citadel at Bab al-Aziziya had been a "tactical move" and vowed to fight to the death, calling on his supporters to "cleanse" Tripoli of "devils and traitors".
In London, the foreign secretary, William Hague, repeated his assertion that the continued fighting represented "the death throes" of the regime. "I think it is time now for Colonel Gaddafi to stop issuing delusional statements and to recognise what has happened, that control of the country is not going to return," he said in a statement. "He should be telling his dwindling and remaining forces now to stand down."
Rebel fighters continued a manhunt for the fugitive despot, reportedly involving a search of an extensive tunnel network beneath Bab al-Aziziya, but without any sign of success. Mustafa Abdel Jalil, the head of the opposition National Transitional Council (NTC), announced a reward for Gaddafi's capture of 2m Libyan dinars (£790,000), funded by a businessman in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, and an amnesty for past crimes for anyone in his entourage who killed or detained him.
Rebel fighters attempted to move into the Abu Salim neighbourhood but were kept at bay by heavy sniper and mortar fire from the woods and from high buildings in the district.
In the midst of the fighting, about 35 journalists and diplomats were freed yesterday from the Rixos Hotel, on the edge of Abu Salim, where they had been held for five days by pro-Gaddafi gunmen. Their release was negotiated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, who ferried the journalists to another hotel elsewhere in the city.
As skirmishes continued in Tripoli, more details emerged on the operation to take control the city, codenamed Mermaid Dawn. According to a rebel military spokesman, quoted by the Associated Press, men from Tripoli who supported the revolution slipped out of the capital three months ago for training in Benghazi. Once trained, they reinfiltrated the city either by sea, posing as fishermen, or through the western mountains.
"They went back to Tripoli and waited; they became sleeper cells,"
said the military spokesman Fadlallah Haroun, who helped organise the operation. He said that when the signal for the operation was given, on 21 August, about 150 men rose up from inside Tripoli, blocking streets and pinning down Gaddafi units within the city.
Meanwhile, the commander of the battalion charged with defending the entrance to the city, Mohammed Eshkal, was said by another NTC official to have agreed not to put up resistance, because Gaddafi had ordered the death of his cousin 20 years ago.
A US official was quoted as confirming reports that Qatari special forces had helped spearhead the rebel storming of Bab al-Aziziyah, and that British, French and Italian advisers had also played a supporting role.
In Paris the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, promised the NTC prime minister, Mahmoud Jibril, that French troops would continue to support the rebels as long as pro-Gaddafi forces continued to resist. An international conference in the French capital on September 1, co-ordinated by the British and French governments, would meanwhile mark the transition from military to civilian support for the Libyan revolution.
NTC leaders had been expected to arrive in Tripoli on Wednesday to help bolster the council's legitimacy as an interim government, but it was not clear whether they had arrived or had put off their trip because of security concerns.
Some NTC officials were involved in talks yesterday in Doha with diplomats from a contact group of major powers, aimed at arranging short-term finance for the incoming government.
Meanwhile, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, US, British and French diplomats were drafting a security council resolution ordering the unblocking of $1.5bn (£0.9bn) in Libyan funds that were frozen in western bank accounts at the beginning of the war.
Around the world, Libyan embassies that had not hitherto changed sides, including Tokyo and Addis Ababa, replaced the Gaddafi green flag with the tricolour used by the NTC. In London, NTC officials, who already had control of the embassy, laid a doormat bearing Gaddafi's image at the entrance so that visitors would trample on his likeness.
Libye ? Vous vous êtes encore fait avoir ? Oui, encore ! par Michel COLLON
Les « armes de destruction massive », ça n'a pas suffi ? Le martyre de l'Irak, frappé d'abord par les médiamensonges et ensuite par les bombes, on n'en a pas tiré les leçons ? Non, on n'en a pas tiré les leçons. On sait que les Etats-Unis ont menti sur le Vietnam, l'Irak, la Yougoslavie, l'Afghanistan et Gaza, mais on croit que cette fois-ci, sur la Libye, ils disent la vérité pour une fois. Etrange.
Lire l'article...
NAMIBIA -
STOP GRABBING CAPRIVIAN LAND FROM CAPRIVIANS By Chrispin Mutoiwa (UDP)
Since independence from 1990 to date, Namibia has been plundering the fauna and flora in the Caprivi.
Firstly, because of diamonds they resettled the Barakwenas in Western Caprivi from areas where they extracted diamonds to the other. They erected farms from Divundu to Omega and resettled the Mbukushu of Kavango into those areas.
The Mbukushus from Kavango wants to chase the Caprivian Barakwenas from Omega to Mbabwata. The Caprivi borders, like the whole of Africa was demarcated by our colonizers and Caprivi's borders in the west stretches from Andara via Mukuvi to the Botswana border. In the north a cutline was demarcated between Angola and the Caprivi Strip and the River Zambezi divides the Caprivi Strip from Zambia. In the south the Rivers Kwandu and Chobe separates Caprivi Strip and Botswana.
The action taken by the Namibian regime to move the border plate board is a desperate action of a nincompoop government desperate to deny the Caprivian nation their right to enjoy the wealth found on their land. We are aware that De beers discovered diamonds in the Caprivi Strip in 2007 and have since extracted those minerals. This is the reason why the Namibian government has shifted the border from Andara and Mukuvi to where it is now without the consent of Caprivians.
Now, because of these problems that stemmed from the SWAPO manifesto to grab land from Caprivians and use it as farms for Ovambos, and the sheer dishonesty on the part of SWAPO, and SWAPO's policy of excluding Caprivians from the share of the pie, coupled by the fact that Namibia from 1990 has been governing and administering the Caprivi Strip illegally, Caprivians finally decided to seek their own State and government. It is important to note that when African states gained freedom from European rule, they all became staunch defenders of the existing boundaries.
The charter of the Organization of African Unity government thus contains an agreement by the signatory governments to "respect the frontiers (of all member states) existing on their achievement of national independence." In the extensive turbulence of postcolonial African politics, there have been very few attempts by States to take over significant portions of their neighbors' territories. The only successful secession movements then were based on previous colonial boundaries (Eritrea, Somaliland), axcept the last and recent one (Southern Sudan).
Southern Sudan has just celebrated its first independence from the mainland Arabic Sudan, Caprivi Strip Case is unstoppable as unlike Sudan, we have natural boundaries that were demarcated during the scramble of Africa. The AU and SADC’s claim not to interfere with the borders that were drawn and demarcated by our former colonizers now hold no water.
The Caprivian nation has suffered enough that the international community must come to their rescue by finding a lasting solution to the stalemates between Namibia and the people of the Caprivi. While SWAPO is exploiting the natural resources in Western Caprivi, they not only stopped there but have also decided to destroy the land between Sangwali and Katima Mulilo. In disguise they have blinded the people in Caprivi with an open fact that they want to bring in outsiders, like for example Ovambos, to come and grab the land from their rightful owners.
They say forewarned is forearmed, the people of the Caprivi should see through the demonic eyes of the SWAPO regime. Once you allow them access to your land, it will be difficult to chase them aware when that land will be needed most by your next generation. Let us not make a mistake now that will cost us dearly as our next generation will never forgive us. This issue is not only for the Barakwenas, it is not only for the Mafwe, it involves all the people in the Caprivi, Mafwe Masubia, Mayeyi, Matotela, Mambukushu, Malozi, Mabarakwena, etc. United we can defeat our foes and allies. Remember the story of the Camel and it's master.
What has happened to you people at home?
Western Caprivi is being plundered by the SWAPO regime. That land is Caprivi which belongs to Caprivians and not Namibians. Do you people still waiting for the Namibian government to take everything and chase you out that when you will react to these deliberate actions? The Barakwenas that were murdered in Western Caprivi and now being tossed away from their ancestral land is clear example of a government which will stop at nothing to achieve its aims and objectives to chase aware Caprivians wherever they are and grab their land for their self interests. Now is the time to act to avoid the unforeseen circumstances later. SWAPO has shown you their side of the story, that is they do not need Caprivians at all costs, firstly, when they dishonored the Lusaka merger of 1964, and they do so now by implementing their set objectives of resettling all Caprivians from the Caprivi Strip to use that land for their own ends. Development is not a matter of imposition on the people, but a matter of proper consultation, and only when the people agree to it, can such a plan be implemented.
Amidst all this chaos, we should not forget that the Namibian government arrested, tortured and imprisoned Caprivians for the past twelve years now and no solution has been reached by the Namibian authorities since then. Many people in the Caprivi have been subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, their homes were ransacked by the Namibian forces, their dignity violated, and many were killed in the process. We remember that late Mrs. Noreen Kwala (the former Matron of Rundu hospital) after reporting to the media that Rundu Hospital mortuary could not afford to accommodate copses because it was very full, the following weekend she was murdered in western Caprivi and we leave it to you to guess who did the killing of that Matron. No wonder the utterances by Dr. Niikundo! We cannot afford to watch Namibia destroy the fauna and flora which is our economic back borne the Caprivi only have.
The suggestion by SWAPO to allow induna silalos to distribute land to its people could be a good one but it falls short in its tracks as it is politically coined to allow outsiders to have access to such land. The United Democratic Party (UDP) once suggested that if Namibia genuinely wanted to develop the Caprivi in terms of agriculture, it was only proper to develop the people by giving them the resources the need, like equipments and money and they could turn the Caprivi into a bread basket of that part of the world. The Namibian regime should stop pretending that there is no problem in the Caprivi because the problem really exists. SADC, AU and the United Nations should delve on Namibia and force them to resolve the Caprivi Strip Case and let the owners concentrate on the next phase of economic development. Release all Caprivians in your prisons and allow mediation that will lead to self determination and independence of the Caprivi Strip to take place. We said this in the past and we say it now that we are not Namibians but a Caprivian nation.
UDP Bulela Sicaba Sa Utwa!!!!
BOYCOTT FACEBOOK - but set up your social network in cyberspace with secure providers
Facebook bans European social network for violating its policies By Emil Protalinski (ZDNet)
Summary: Facebook has reportedly banned Netlog, a European social network, from the Facebook Platform. Massive Media, Netlog's parent company, is considering complaining to the European Commission.
Netlog is a Belgian social network with 70 million members. It isn't well-known in the US since it is specifically targeted at the European youth demographic. Last week, Netlog allegedly violated Facebook's policies and thus got banned from the Facebook Platform, according to TechCrunch.
Facebook reportedly provided no explanation of which specific rule Netlog broke, or in what way. Nevertheless, the ban resulted in approximately 1.5 million users who used Facebook Connect to sign up for Netlog were unable to log on to the site.
Netlog was first told it was violating a brand new item in Facebook's Platform policy that was quietly added about two weeks ago. The new clause stipulates that Facebook apps can't link, promote, integrate, or redirect to any apps on any competing social platform. Netlog argues that it has never launched a canvas app on the Facebook Platform, although it was at one point considering building one.
Facebook then reportedly explained the reason for the ban was poorly communicated and that Netlog was actually banned over a different violation. "Netlog took extensive steps to access internal Facebook APIs and deliberately compromised intended limitations of our platform," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement. "We took appropriate and necessary steps to protect people on Facebook."
Massive Media, Netlog's parent company, is of course not amused. Since Facebook initially said that Netlog got banned for linking to a competing social platform, it is reportedly considering filing a complaint against Facebook with the European Commission over "anti-competitive actions."
Thumbing Through WikiLeaks' Fresh Batch of Diplomatic Cables By Adam Clark Estes (TheAtlantic)
WikiLeaks appeared to be emptying its file cabinets with the announcement of the release of over 55,000 U.S. diplomatic cables on Tuesday night. No major bombshells have been uncovered in the immediate wake of the data dump, but some bumps in the road suggests that the organization could be in some trouble. Not long after announcing the massive release, WikiLeaks tweeted that they were "under a sustained DOS attack and have regressed to backup servers" and soon thereafter reported that their "Californian DNS hoster, Dynadot, has received [and complied with] a PATRIOT act production order for information on Julian Assange." The servers appeared to be back online Wednesday morning when the organization posted the rest of the cables.
The countries involved span the globe and represent some of America's most tenuous international relationships. The sheer volume of the dump ensures that journalists and volunteers will be digging through the data for days, but WikiLeaks has made it easier for everyone. The cables are available at a searchable database and sorted based on the location of the U.S. Embassy involved: Libya, China, Israel, Russia, Venezuela, Iran, Germany, Afghanistan, France, Indonesia, Rwanda, Turkey, Poland, Syria, Bahrain, South Africa, Somalia. WikiLeaks has asked volunteers to tweet their findings with the #wlfind hashtag on Twitter, where we've found a few interesting revelations.
- U.S. saw a benefit in the privatization of Libyan banks. "There may be opportunities for increased private sector cooperation with U.S. banks and opportunities for the USG to help train Libya's next generation of bankers." [Full cable from March 2008]
- Israel believed "the Palestinians are only Israel's number four threat in the IDI's assessment, following Iran, Syria, and Hizballah" [Full cable from December 2008]
- The U.S. "Ask an Ambassador" query attracted some insults in Israel. "Most messages condemned the U.S. for "double standard" policies, with some asking why the U.S. did not take action to stop Israel. One message read, "Stop the Israeli violence in Lebanon. Zionist barbarians are killing babies. You are not a super power; only a super Masonic puppy." [Full cable from August 2008]
- Diplomats closely monitored Israel's opinion of Bush during his re-election campaign. Among the quotes collected: "Conventional wisdom in Israel," wrote a senior columnist from pluralist Yediot Aharonot on November 1, "is that Bush was and will be the ideal American president from Israel's perspective. The best there is. Israel has no interest in seeing him replaced, and it has every interest in seeing him reelected." [Full cable from December 2004]
- Turks don't like Americans, homosexuals, bikinis. "Istanbul's Bahcesehir University conducted a face-to-face survey with 1,714 Turks on radicalism and extremism as measured by neighborhood tolerance in 34 cities. The poll revealed high levels of intolerance toward non-Muslim, American, homosexual, and non-married neighbors. It also revealed conservative attitudes toward atheists, alcohol consumption, and modern revealing clothes such as women's bathing suits and shorts." [Full cable from June 2009]
- Iran got a hold of some German-made weapons equipment. "We want to advise German officials of information indicating that as of June 2009, two Iranian intermediary firms offered test equipment manufactured by the German firms Rohde & Schwarz and Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik (HBM) to Iran's primary developer of liquid-fueled ballistic missiles, the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG)." [Full Cable from December 2009]
- Anti-terrorism efforts in the Philippines included building "dual use" airports. "Our $10 million Philippine 1207 initiative would build upon existing U.S. Agency for International Development and Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines activity to improve dual-use infrastructure on the islands of Jolo and the neighboring island of Tawi-Tawi, where we have made significant gains in separating the terrorists from the population." [Full cable from April 2007; report from an activist]
We'll update this post with more interesting findings as they're revealed, but based on recent news, some of WikiLeaks best secrets might be lost. Meanwhile, it was also reported earlier this week that former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg had destroyed a cache of 3,500 important documents, including Bank of America secrets and the U.S. no-fly list. Domscheit-Berg has since disputed that allegation.
Update: Salon's Justin Elliott post about "a pair of fascinating cables about American citizens who are living in illegal West Bank settlement" is also worth a look.
Update 2: Vivian Giang at Business Insider caught some interesting factoids in the cables from China, including but not limited to the fact that China thinks "the U.S. should 'not be paranoid' about the alleged Chinese hacking. Saying Chinese technology is 'so sophisticated that it scares the United States'.
SHELL TO HELL
Shell's second oil leak in North Sea pipeline caused by relief valve By Fiona Harvey and Severin Carrell (TheGuardian)
Campaigners and politicians have criticised the oil company for being slow to release information on the spill
A relief valve close to the faulty pipeline at Shell's Gannet Alpha oil platform in the North Sea appears to be the source of a secondary leak that is adding to the worst oil spill in UK waters in a decade.
Green campaigners and members of the Scottish parliament have rounded on the oil company for being slow to release full information on the leak, which was first detected last Wednesday but only disclosed to the public on Friday evening.
Shell said on Tuesday that while the leaking well was "under control", and the main spill had been shut off successfully, a small quantity of oil was still finding its way to the sea by another pathway. After lengthy searching, the valve was pinpointed as the likely source.Work will continue to dam the small quantities of oil – at up to five barrels a day, a trickle compared with the 1,300 barrels thought to have gushed out in the first days of the leak, but Shell could not say how soon it would be completed. The company has also been so far unable to explain how the leak occurred in the first place.
Green campaigners accused the company of complacency and secrecy, as information on the progress of the leak continued to be slowly released. Per Fischer, communications officer at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "It beggars belief that we are still being drip-fed information and that Shell's initially 'insignificant' leak is still causing problems."
Tony King, head of policy at the Scottish Wildlife Trust, added: "It seems clear that there has been a substantial oil spill in the North Sea, putting sea birds, whales and dolphins, fish and other wildlife at risk. Shell needs to come clean on exactly how much oil has entered the sea. This is an extremely serious matter and wildlife organisations need information in order to plan what, if anything, can be done to safeguard Scotland's marine wildlife. Once the immediate threat to the environment has been removed, Shell must be open about exactly how this spill came about and what measures it is taking to make sure that it never happens again."
Shell rebuffed these criticisms, saying it had responded "promptly" and "properly". The company said it had followed correct procedures in alerting the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) first about the leak last week, and agreeing a course of action to stop it. Most of the oil has now been dispersed by the waves, leaving only a small area where a sheen can be seen on the sea surface.
Government advisers also played down the risk to bird life, as the oil is unlikely to reach shore from the rig – 112 miles east of Aberdeen – and said the risk to fish was also small as most of the oil should be cleared by natural processes. Officials said that while the leak was the biggest in UK waters for a decade, it was less serious when viewed in context of other major spills such as BP's blowout in the Gulf of Mexico last year, which was estimated to be spilling up to 70,000 barrels a day.
Sarah Boyack, Labour's environment spokesperson in the Scottish parliament, said people needed more assurances from the government agencies involved: "I want to know from Marine Scotland what contingency plans they put in place to deal with major oil spillages. I also want information on the lessons they learned from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in relation to wildlife protection, protection of public health and protection of the fishing industry."
Glen Cayley, the technical director of Shell UK, said that since the original leak had been shut off last Thursday, the company had been "working to find the source of the much smaller flow of hydrocarbons. It had proved difficult to find because we are dealing with a complex subsea infrastructure and the position of the small leak is in an awkward place surrounded by marine growth. So, it has taken our [remotely operated vehicle] inspections some time to establish exactly where the source is. Once we've confirmed this we will then develop a series of mitigation options to stop this leak. There is no new leak."
Green campaigners said the incident raised questions over the safety of oil companies' plans to drill in deep water in the Arctic, as the North Sea is generally supposed to be the safest in the world in terms of spills. Vicky Wyatt, senior oil campaigner at Greenpeace, said: "As Shell finalises plans to move into the fragile Arctic, where oil spills are almost impossible to clean up, the company has important questions to answer. Meanwhile the government should halt its rush to hand out new licences for deep water drilling to the west of Shetland."
Greenpeace is taking legal action to stop the granting of more than 20 new licences for oil companies to drill in the deep water to the west of Shetland, arguing that the government cannot be certain that a spill in the area would not devastate specially protected wildlife havens.
Campaigners also pointed to wider lessons for oil companies in other parts of the world, including places where oil spills have been covered up such as Nigeria. As the Guardian recently revealed, Shell has been forced to admit liability for spills in the region that have dwarfed last year's Gulf of Mexico disaster.
Fischer said: "It is ironic that the information [Shell has] made available is actually vastly better than what was offered to the people of Nigeria, where Shell for a long time denied any responsibility for endless oil spills. For decades, oil companies have acted with impunity when it comes to the environment. At a time when we could be using the skills learnt through oil exploitation to advance our renewable energy resources, we should be placing much higher standards of operation on companies like Shell."
Shell said: "The high winds and waves over the weekend have led to a substantial reduction in the size of the oil sheen as can be seen from the current levels on the water," said Cayley. "This is a significant spill in the context of annual amounts of oil spilled in the North Sea. We care about the environment and we regret that the spill happened. We have taken it very seriously and responded promptly to it."
Decc said: "Shell has informed us that the oil leak at its pipeline at the Gannet Alpha platform east of Aberdeen is under control and has now been greatly reduced. They are working to completely halt any further leakage. Although small in comparison to the Macondo incident [at one of BP's platforms in the Gulf of Mexico last year], in the context of the UK's continental shelf the spill is substantial – but it is not anticipated that oil will reach the shore and it is expected that it will be dispersed naturally."
Opinion: The Water Deficit By David Molden *
Current farming practices draw too much of the world's freshwater supplies to be sustainable. A change is needed to support growing agricultural demand. The pictures look familiar to the point of grim cliché. Starving children in Somalia dying in droves as drought desiccates the landscape. Yes, we have seen this horrific scene before and too many times.
But what's happening there, while an extreme example, is not an isolated event. It is just one of a series of food-related crises of the past year that have many questioning the ability of current agriculture systems to provide adequate food, fiber and fuel in the face of environmental, population and political challenges. The famine in northern Somalia was preceded by weather-related crop losses over the last year in Russia and Australia, which contributed to a rapid rise in food prices. This in turn fueled food insecurity throughout the developing world and contributed to unrest in Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere.
Much of today's farming problems stem from decreasing availability of freshwater. Agriculture currently withdraws about 70 to 90 percent of our developed water supplies, and increased use of water for irrigation in many of the world's "breadbasket" river basins has already depleted major rivers, including the Indus, the Colorado, the Yellow River, the Jordan, and the Murray-Darling, and caused steep drops in levels of groundwater. With climate change further constraining water availability, how can we expect farmers to achieve 70 percent more food production over the next 30 years to keeping pace with the growing population?
There is simply not enough water to support farming as it is currently practiced.
A new report, released at World Water Week in Stockholm this week, warns of the urgent need to reconsider how critical water, land, and ecosystem resources are used to boost crop yields. Produced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) with a range of partners, the report proposes how water resources can continue to support the health of an ecosystem while addressing the demands of farmers and other local users.
Technically, it is possible to "fix" agriculture, while ensuring long-term sustainability and environmental health. But in devising solutions, we must assign value to ecosystems, recognize environmental and livelihood tradeoffs, and balance the rights of a variety of users and interests. And we cannot ignore the inequities that result when such measures are adopted, such as the reallocation of water from poor to rich, the clearing of land to make way for more productive farmland, or the preservation of a wetland system that limits fishing rights.
But the changes required to find a balancing act between ecosystem health and food security are not incredibly radical. For example, farmers upstream could adopt practices that would yield good quality, clean water for the downstream cities. City dwellers would make payments to these farmers for the cost associated with these new practices; and for investments in more sustainable practices that would produce more food with less water.
Other possibilities include efforts to store water, prevent erosion, promote vegetation, and recharge groundwater—all necessary for healthy environments and agriculture. Indeed, watershed programs across India and elsewhere in Asia are working with poor rural communities to establish more water-conservative farming strategies.
Furthermore, farmers in some of the driest regions of the world are incorporating trees into their farms, which help stabilize water resources for the entire area while providing natural fertilizers for their crops and fodder for their animals.
These activities offer hope that farming can be transformed into a sustainable practice and expanded with the growing population. But to fulfill the promise of this new movement that embraces both agriculture and conservation, change must take place on a massive scale and on a global stage. Whether it takes place in the laboratory or in the field, we need nothing short of a revolution in the way we think about land and its cultivation. But with farmers and conservationists working together, we just might ensure that the world's most vulnerable people have enough to eat, while preserving the ecosystems that cradle us all.
* David Molden is Deputy Director General of Research at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and a co-author of the new report published by IWMI and UNEP, "An Ecosystem Services Approach to Water and Food Security," released this week at the World Water Week in Stockholm.
GM maize being developed for fuel instead of food (MAIL&GUARDIAN)
US farmers are growing the first maize plants genetically modified for the specific purpose of putting more ethanol in petrol tanks rather than producing more food.
Aid organisations warn the new GM maize could worsen a global food crisis exposed by the famine in Somalia by diverting more corn into energy production.
The food industry also opposes the new GM product because, although not inedible, it is unsuitable for use in the manufacture of food products that commonly use maize. Farmers growing maize for human consumption are also concerned about cross-contamination. The maize, developed by a branch of the Swiss pesticide firm Syngenta, contains an added gene for an enzyme (amylase) that speeds the breakdown of starches into ethanol. Ethanol plants normally have to add the enzyme to corn when making ethanol.
More ethanol, less water
The Enogen-branded maize is being grown for the first time commercially on about 2 000 hectares on the edge of the US's maize belt in Kansas, following its approval by the US Department of Agriculture last February. In its promotional material Syngenta says it will allow farmers to produce more ethanol from the maize while using less energy and water.
Meanwhile, campaigners say the maize will heap pressure on global food supplies and contribute to environmental degradation. They argue Enogen will lead to an increase in the amount of food crops going to fuel, leaving less for human consumption and leading to food price rises. That will lead to food price rises on the global market. "The temptation to look at food as another form of fuel to use for the energy crisis will exacerbate the food crisis," said Todd Post of Bread for the World, a Christian anti-hunger organisation.
Although individual events such as the Somalia famine are caused by a complex combination of factors, several studies have established that the expansion of biofuels has pushed up food prices worldwide, making it harder to afford for the poorest. A World Bank report released on Tueday says food prices that are now close to their 2008 peak have contributed to the famine in Somalia. Marie Brill, a senior policy analyst at ActionAid warned: "It's going to put even more pressure on a really tight market. It will be really tempting to farmers to take on this new more efficient ethanol form of corn."
Disaster for food industry
The food industry is warning of the dangers of contaminating existing maize crops with the new GM maize. The same traits that make the modified maize so attractive to the ethanol industry -- the swift breakdown of starches -- would be a disaster for the food industry, turning maize chips into shapeless lumps, and stripping the thickening properties from maize starch.
Even a small amount of the amylase maize -- one kernel out of 10 000 -- could damage food products, according to data supplied to the North American Millers' Association by Syngenta. The organisation, like most food industry groups, has opposed the maize, noting failures to prevent cross-contamination from earlier GM breeds.
The European Union, South Korea, and South Africa have not approved its import.
Enogen also has to catch on among farmers. "I'm sceptical as a farmer," said Allen Jasper, who runs a cattle-feed operation near Whitten, Iowa. "The first thing I'm going to ask is how does it yield. Any time you try and change a corn plant and get it to do something that is not native to the plant you have to be sceptical of the yield."
Syngenta maintains the variety has a high yield, and that it has the appropriate safeguards to prevent cross-pollination. After Kansas, the company plans to expand its growing area to Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, and south-west Minnesota.
Farmers will grow the maize under contract to an ethanol production plant, getting a premium over regular maize. Buffer rows of maize will be planted. "This is a very slow ramp-up. This is not a broad acre crop at this point," said Paul Minehart, a Syngenta spokesperson.
Steve McNinch, of Western Plains Energy, in Kansas, the only ethanol plant to have processed the new maize, said adding a small amount of amylase corn to the mix -- about 10% -- would increase production by 10%.
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SOMALI WATERWORLD THE SITUATION ON SOMALIA's 6th ESTATE:
- YOU ARE PERSISTENTLY BEING LIED TO WITH IMPUNITY- TRENDS- SOLUTIONS PENDING- ECOTERRA STATEMENT and- THE WISH-LISTS FOR THE NAVIES, THE UN AND BAN KI-MOON
READ ALL AND UNDERSTAND AT: http://beforeitsnews.com/story/135118
and NAVAL NAVEL INSPECTION I
and NAVAL NAVEL INSPECTION II
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it."
Henry Ford (1863 - 1947)
HOSTAGE CASES UNDER OBSERVATION: (© ecoterra/ecop-marine)
Genuine members of families of the abducted seafarers or true vessel owners can call +254-719-603-176 for further details or send an e-mail in any language tooffice[AT]ecoterra-international.org
FV NN IRAN : Seized March 02, 2009. The Iranian fishing vessel and her 29 crew was seized by Somali pirates. The vessel was missing and wanted. Navy soldiers on French warship FS NIVOSE and her helicopter fired warning shots at a dhow and then snipers from the Estonian Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) destroyed her skiffs, which were abandoned before the dhow and the hostages were commandeered back to the coast. The vessel and crew are still held hostage.
MV SOCOTRA 1 : Seized December 25. 2009. The vessel carrying a food cargo for a Yemeni businessman and bound for Socotra Archipelago was captured in the Gulf of Aden after it left Alshahir port in the eastern province of Hadramout. 6 crew members of Yemeni nationality were aboard. Latest information said the ship was commandeered onto the high seas between Oman and Pakistan, possibly in another piracy or smuggling mission. 2 of the original crew are reportedly on land in Puntland. VESSEL STILL MISSING and/or working as pirate ship, was confirmed by Yemeni authorities.
The vessel is wanted.
MSV HUD HUD seized March 23, 2010. The motorized, Pakistan-flagged and Pakistan-owned Dhow with 11 Pakistani crew was used to hijack MT ELENI P, a Greek merchant vessel which was released after the payment of a ransom.
Freed seafarers of the Greek merchant ship reported that after the successful boarding of MT ELENI P the pirates left the MSV HUDHUD and all embarked on MT ELENI P. It was therefore assumed that MSV HUD-HUD was set free on 12. May 2010.
It is, however, now reported by the Authorities, that the owners of the vessel still claim to not know the whereabouts of this vessel and its crew. MSV HUD HUD also flies sometimes the flag of the Comoros was established from the records of the Sharjah creek customs office in the UAE.
The vessel is wanted.
MV ICEBERG I : Seized March 29, 2010. The UAE-owned, Panama-flagged Ro-Ro vessel MV ICEBERG 1 (IMO 7429102) with her originally 24 multinational crew members (original crew: 9 Yemenis, 6 Indians, 4 from Ghana, 2 Sudanese, 2 Pakistani and 1 Filipino) was sea-jacked just 10nm outside Aden Port, Gulf of Aden. The 3,960 dwt vessel was in the beginning of the hostage ordeal mostly held off Kulub at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia. Since negotiations by the vessel manager had not achieved any solution, the vessel was taken to the high seas again. Then the USS McFaul intercepted and identified the ship on 19th May 2010, despite the pirates having painted over her name and re-named the ship SEA EXPRESS, while the vessel was on a presumed piracy mission on the high-seas. Since about 50 pirates on the ship made any rescue operation impossible without endangering the 24 crew, the naval ship followed the commandeered vessel's movements for the next 36 hours, until it began to sail back towards the coast of Somalia. Already back then it had transpired that the shipping company Azal Shipping based in Dubai refused to pay any ransom and the ship is apparently not insured, though it carries quiet valuable cargo. For a long time it seemed that the British cargo owner was influencing the not forthcoming negotiations. The sailors soon had no more food, water or medicine from their stores on board. Chief Officer Kumar, Chief Engineer Mohamed and Second Engineer Francis also stated since months that they urgently need Diesel for the electricity generators. The crew requested in July and August again humanitarian intervention as before but could only receive some supplies through intervention by local elders and a humanitarian group, because the owner-manager neglects the crew. In September some negotiations for the release started again, but were not concluded or continued, because the captors consider the offer of the shipowner as unrealistic. According to the Chinese state-media newswire XINHUA, the acting director at the ministry of foreign affairs in Accra (Ghana) Mr. Lawrence Sotah said the ministry, in response to a petition by a relative of one of the hostages, had commenced investigations, but reportedly stated also that their location and reasons for the kidnapping remained unknown. "We do not have any information as to what the pirates are demanding, because the owners of the ship or the pirates themselves have not put out any information which will be helpful for us to know exactly what they want," he said. "Ghana's mission in Saudi Arabia has been contacted to assist, " Sotah said. He said the ministry was working with other international security organization to get to the bottom of what he termed the "alleged" kidnapping.The vessel is owned by a company called ICEBERG INTERNATIONAL LTD, but registered only with "care of" the ISM-manager AZAL SHIPPING & CARGO (L.L.C) - Shipping Lines Agents - Dubai UAE, whose representative Mr. Yassir Amin - said to be a Yemeni - was stating to all sides that he is handling the case.Though EU NAVFOR spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour had stated that the vessel was carrying just "general mechanical equipment" and was heading for the United Arab Emirates when it was attacked, it carries according to the owner-manager generators, transformers and empty fuel tanks. It could now be confirmed that besides other cargo it carries generators and transformers for British power rental company Aggreko International Power Projects and the cargo seems to be better insured than the vessel.One of the sailors from Ghana was able to speak to a journalist back home and stated on 22. September: "They have given us a 48 hour deadline that if we don't come up with anything reasonable they will kill some of us and sink the vessel. I am appealing to the Ghanaian authority that they should do something to save our lives because our treatment here is inhuman". The vessel was then very close to the shore of Garacad. In the beginning of October the Somali pirates allegedly threatened to kill the sailors and to sell the body organs of the 22 hostages, if their ransom demands are not met in the near future. Media reports said the information was received via a text message from one of the hostages, but investigations showed that the message, which read that the pirates will kill them and then remove their eyes and kidneys in order to be sold, is more a sort of a macabre hoax. On 27. October the third officer (name of the Yemeni man known but withheld until next of kin would speak out) died. The crew reported the case, evidence was provided and the owner confirmed that he also knows. Since there is no more light diesel to run the generators for the freezer, the owner reportedly just gave instructions to take the body off the vessel, but has made no arrangements to bring it back to Yemen.Thereafter it was said that the group holding the ship would use it again to capture other vessels when two skiffs were taken taken on board hinting at plans that the gang intended to commandeer the ship to the high-seas again. But vessel and crew were then still held at Kulub near Garacad at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia, because the vessel was out of fuel. The pirates, however, managed then to refuel from another vessel.
The National Organization for Defending Rights and Freedoms (HOOD) in Yemen as well as ECOTERRA Intl. sent a letter on behalf of the families, following the news that one crew member had committed suicide.
The kidnap victim's families previously published a letter to the President in the state-owned October 14 newspaper in September.
"As it is the state's duty to protect its citizens and because of your public responsibility as the country's president, we demand you free the Yemeni hostages and investigate officials who did not do their duty to rescue them," reads the letter from HOOD to the President.Also the families of the Indian seafarers on board have several times called upon the President and the Prime Minister of India and addressed the Indian Minister to help and solve the crisis, since the shipowner is not even responding to their requests for information. Though Dubai's Azal Shipping, fronting for the real owners, stated to a maritime website that the crew would not be malnourished, the governments of the seafarers already have statements from the captain and crew-members themselves, which state otherwise and also describe the appalling medical situation.Again an urgent request to deliver relief-supplies in form of food, water and urgently required medicine as well as fuel for the generators has been made by the captain and crew, but was so far neglected by the ship-owner, who also has not yet facilitated the transfer of the body of the deceased to his Yemeni family. A great number of the still surviving 23 crew are suffering now from serious medical conditions of various kind , ranging from blindness, infections to mental illness, and most suffer from skin rashes, which make now humanitarian intervention and medical assistance compulsory.It is hoped that the Indian Prime Minister, who was in the UAE, can achieve that the owners of the vessel are now really engaging in a tangible process to free the vessel and not just rely on their so-called consultants.
Latest reports state that the vessel is now only one mile off the beach off Kulub. Dangers that it might get wrecked on the beach are real, because the chief engineer alerted that there is no more fuel on board to manoeuvre the vessel away from the shore and heavy winds and waves push the vessel closer to land.
It would not be the first time that unscrupulous vessel or cargo owners even hope to cash in on the insurance money for a wrecked ship and lost cargo in such a case.
Since 02. February 2005 the classification society Bureau Veritas had withdrawn from this vessel, because a survey of the ship was already overdue back then and no survey has been carried out since. But this did not stop disputed outfits like the Canadian company Africa Oil to use the ICEBERG I as their supply vessel for their adventures with the Australian oil-juggler Range Resources and the Puntland regional administration and to take equipment back to Djibouti when their deal finally went sour recently.
The vessel is also not covered by an ITF Agreement and the crew will have serious difficulties to get their rights even once they come free.
Already the family of the deceased Yemeni seafarer and their lawyer from Aden had no success to achieve any co-operation from the vessel owner or their front-men - a situation experienced by several organizations already before.
Meanwhile the flag-state Panama and the governments of the seafarers have been addressed and are requested to step in. Panama's Shipping Registry, the largest in the world at the end of 2010, has finally exited the "grey list" compiled by signatories of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MOU.) The Paris MOU compiles a list of shipping registries that are not in compliance with international standards. It is expected now that the authorities from Panama will take their guarantor position as flag-state concerning the lives of the seamen on MV ICEBERG serious now.For a long time reports said that the body of the deceased seafarer was decomposing, while vessel and crew are obviously also earmarked to rot unattended in that hell.
Reports from the destitute families say that the vessel-owner hasn't even paid any outstanding salaries and the Indian government has so far only reacted with diplomatic niceties, but no help to the situation in any way.
The vessel has now been moved from Kulub to Ceel Dhanaane south of Garacad, but the chief engineer said he has no more fuel to run the generators and that during one of the manoeuvres the propeller and shaft were damaged.During the first week of February humanitarian mediation efforts achieved that some crew-members could talk to their families and the families reported that the vessel owner has completely abandoned the crew and his vessel, while also officials from the numerous governments, who are tasked because their nationals are hostages, reportedly also have achieved no step ahead, while the so-called owner of the vessel from AZAL SHIPPING recently stated to the pirates: "Whether you kill the crew or you sink the ship I don't care." - as documented by the crew.
Reports on a certain Somalia website, however, claiming that the chief engineer was missing from the ship and had been taken to an undisclosed location on land, turned out to be simply not true.
The families of the Indian hostages on board went therefore public mid February 2011 and decried the total irresponsibleness of the Indian government. They stated to CNN/IBN that neither the Indian Prime Minister nor the the ministers concerned nor any of the authorities tasked with the duties to care for the hostage seafarers had shown any activity to work on the release of the seafarers on MV ICEBERG I.
The Yemeni family of the deceased sailor had been informed that they had to make a decision what should happen with the corpse, since the pirates were no longer willing to put diesel into the generator for the freezer.
The captain of the ill-fated ship stated that the owners of the vessel had given up ownership and has now addressed the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to assist him with the transfer of ownership and the sale of vessel and cargo in order to recover the wages of the crew and to buy their freedom. He confirmed this also to the families and to CNN/IBN and sent respective written communication to the IMO.
The fathers of six Indian crew members of MV Iceberg I said now they will begin a hunger strike outside the home of India's Prime Minister in Delhi until the hostages are freed.
For the first time in nearly a year, the Seafarers Association of India, now woke up too and they said "they were looking into the matter."
Meanwhile the alleged owner of the vessel at AZAL shipping, who is said to be of Yemeni origin, tried unsuccessfully to derail the brunt of the media and families, who even called now on the authorities of the UAE to arrest him, by claiming that he would negotiate through a Somali exGeneral, who used to work for the Somali government.
The fear that the shipping company wants to wreck the vessel is not over. NexLaw, a Consultancy founded and run by one Ravi Ravindran, who originated from Singapore and moved his business from Turkey into the Dubai Maritime City Free Zone under the name DMCEST and is dealing mainly with shipwrecks was on the case since long. Ravi Ravindran said Yassir Amin of Azal Shipping had mandated him. But with which task, is the question. To wreck it? The NexLaw/DMCEST company claimed already earlier to have been involved also in the case of secretly U.S.-owned but Yemen-based MV SEA PRINCESS II, a seajacked small tanker which was another case where one dead seafarer on board had to be decried and which was then finally freed by the involvement of the cargo-owners and not the consultancy. Since Ravi Ravindran obviously didn't achieve a release, Yassir Amin now resorted to claim that he had involved a Somali exGeneral from Mogadishu.
Recent media reports by one Indian paper about a second death among the crew could not be verified and are believed to be not true. However, the situation of the crew is now really precarious with the shipowner apparently incapable and the pirates demanding.
Dutch warship HNLMS De Ruyter (F 804) had apparently tried in March to receive the body of the deceased Yemeni seafarer from the pirates, but because they approached in a way that the pirates believed it could be trick to launch an attack, their attempt was not successful. On the 27. October 2010 Wagdi Akram, a Yemeni and father of four , the third officer, jumped overboard in a fit of dementia. Akram's body was retrieved, stored in a freezer, wrapped in an orange plastic casing with a few bags of ice to keep it cold. Meanwhile it is reported that the gang had to dispose the body into the sea, since there was no more diesel to run the generator and even the crew is cooking now with firewood on board. The electric power having failed when the diesel for the generators ran out, and because the vessel owner did absolutely nothing to help the family to receive the body for burial, the man's remains were thrown overboard.More and more signs are pointing to an outcome similar to that of ill-fated MV RAK AFRIKANA, which was wrecked on the coast of Somalia. Only in this case it will be most likely a more serious disaster, since the vessel is reportedly also carrying toxic fluids in containers, which are according to the manifest supposed to be empty. Already IMO, UNEP and other organizations, whose duty is to avert such grave pollution of a coastal ecosystem, have been called upon and the naval forces are urged not to let this vessel go down.
The case has turned into the most ugly tragedy if Somali pirate history, since it has been revealed now that the Chief engineer apparently is so severely handicapped now that his survival is seriously endangered.MV ICEBERG I, however, still still moored at Ceel Dhanaane at the North-Eastern Somali Indian Ocean coast, while diplomatic avoidance games and the neglect of responsibility from the side of the ownership unfortunately continue.
"We'll nearly die, all people are mental. In some more days people will kill themselves," said the hostage as reported by CNN/IBN, who had received a video tape from the ship and spoke to the crew.
"We have given the go-ahead to all countries in the world to deploy their navy ships there [the waters of Somalia]," Somali Ambassador to Indonesia, Mohamud Olow Barow, had told the media during a press conference in Jakarta on 12. April 2011. This broad statement is, however, disputed by the Somali Transitional Federal Parliament.
Despite several appeals from the families of the sailors, the government has not initiated a firm action yet, leaving the families miffed. The families have now reiterated their demand for government intervention in the matter and help release the sailors abducted.
Jaswinder Singh from Haryana is one the 6 Indians onboard the captured MV Iceberg that has been held captive by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. Ever since the vessel got hijacked the family has been waiting to hear Jaswinder's voice. His family, like others, have been running from one ministry to other to bring back the sailors home.
Nirmal Kaur said, "I appeal to the Indian government to bring my husband back. It has been over a year now and no actions has been taken from our government."
``Our prime interest is to save the life of every Indian sailor being held hostage...that is the guiding concern for the government,'' said overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi.
However and despite all the diplomatic and media hype, nothing is happening concerning the release negotiations, observers close to the case reported on 02. May 2011.
In June 2011 it was reported that the Chief Engineer had finally succumbed to his injuries. The death could, however, at first not be verified until Satnam Singh, a rescued seaman from MV SUEZ, who returned home, independently confirmed on 24. June 2011 that the the MV ICEBERG 1 Chief Engineer MOHAMED ABDALLA ALI KHAM, a Yemeni national, had indeed succumbed to the spinal injuries inflicted on him by the pirates.
Also according to rescued MV Suez sailor NK Sharma, two sailors of MV Iceberg have already been killed by the pirates. He added that those killed are not Indians, which confirms our report.Describing her daily struggle, sailor Ganesh's mother Pushplata Mohite said, "We can't sleep at night, can't sleep in the day, food doesn't taste good, every morning we wonder why are we alive. When we can't help our own son, what is the point of living?"
Life for Ganesh's family has come to a standstill. His brother Mangesh, who just passed his school said he will only celebrate once he sees Ganesh.
"The government of India should at least do something for MV Iceberg. Pirates have already killed two people on that ship," Madhu Sharma, wife of NK Sharma, told NDTV.
Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs, however, said that the government will not negotiate with pirates as this will only encourage piracy. They added that the Ministry of External Affairs and other ministries are in touch with the ship owners and will play the role of a facilitator. This, however, the Indian official had stated already a year ago with no tangible result leading to the release of the hostages.
The alleged governmental disinterest coupled with a ransom demand of nearly Rs 11.2 crore ($2.5 million) has forced the families of six Indian sailors help captive on board the MV Iceberg-I to do exactly that.
"We can no longer trust the government because it has failed to keep its promises. We request the business fraternity and Bollywood to help us in raising funds for the release of our sons.
They have helped needy families in the past and we hope that they will help us too. We will take to the roads to draw people's attention if need be," said Purshottam Tiwari, father of Dheeraj, who is the chief officer-in-command of MV Iceberg-I.
Mr Tiwari alleged that the government is unwilling to help them because the people involved are not high-profile ones.
"Our children are very low profile as compared to captives in other cases. Had it been a plane hijack, the government would have done anything to ensure the captives' release.
The hijack of IC-814 by a Pakistan-based terror organisation is one such example where the government released hardcore terrorists and doled out money to send negotiators to help with the passengers' release," he said.
The distraught families have pleaded with the who's who of the nation, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan, Congress Spokesperson Manish Tewary, Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrashekhar, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, the Director General (Shipping) and even yoga guru Ramdev, but to no avail. The families also staged a dharna near Jantar Mantar along with Sushma Swaraj.
Indian sailors on board the MV Iceberg-I are: Dheeraj Tiwari from Nashik, Swapnil Jadhav from Satara, Ganesh Mohite from Mumbai, Saji Kumar Purshottam from Kerala, Santosh Kumar Yadav from Uttar Pradesh and Jaswinder Singh from Haryana.
Efforts by the families to raise the demanded ransom are still not supported by the Indian government and it is hoped that third-line efforts are not faced by similar setbacks like it was the case in the release of MV SUEZ. Azal Shipping and the UAE, however, have now been urged to also finally co-operate with the release efforts and to end the ordeal.
Meanwhile the company has received a legal notice to declare which efforts were made to assist and free the crew, but it seems that Azal Shipping fronting for clandestine Iceberg International is not complying and therefore a law suit and the involvement of the UAE authorities is taken into consideration.
The families of the seafarers are devastated and haven't even be able to make phone contact with the hostages during the months of June and July 2011.
End of July 2011 the pirate gang holding crew and ship had obviously found a co-investor and refuelled the vessel, while an earlier reported damage to the propeller obviously has either not been so grave or could be repaired, since the vessel moved furhter south to Ceel Dhanaane..
FV AL-DHAFIR : Seized on May 06 or 07, 2010. The Yemen coastguard of the Arabian peninsular state reported the case to have occurred off the coast of Yemen. Yemen's Defence Ministry confirmed that the 7 Yemeni nationals on board were abducted to Somalia. Yemen's coastguard said Somali pirates captured the fishing vessel, while it was docked at a Yemeni island in the Red Sea and had taken it to Somalia. The coastguard was continuing its efforts to retrieve the boat, the Defence Ministry said, but meanwhile the dhow was said to be held at the Somali shore close to Kulub. The vessel is missing and wanted.4 CREW OF FV PRANTALAY 12 (Prantalay stands for "Sea Hunter"; vessel falsely called by some "Frantalay 12") : Seized April 18, 2010. On 12. July 2011 FV PRANTALAY was still reported to be moored 7nm off Eyl, but thereafter the vessel cut its anchor and drifted to Dinowda. After the longer ordeal (see older updates) the vessel was without fuel and had lost its anchorage at Dhanane (a little known location 8nm South of Eyl where also MV IRENE was held - not Ceel Dhanaane where the vessel was held a longer time ago) in the heavy swell and drifted to the shore near Dinowda, where it is beached now.The Somali group, which was holding the last vessel of a fleet of three captured fishing vessels from Thailand, FV PRANTALAY 12, released on 01. of August 2011 the surviving 14 Burmese nationals of the originally 25 hostages into the hands of local elders, who handed the these nationals from Myanmar to the authorities of Puntland, the federal regional state of Somalia, who wants to fly them home with UN help.
While 7 of the crew-members had died already in the horrible ordeal, as we reported earlier, four crew of Thai nationality are now held on land near Dinowda, including the captain, the chief engineer, the chief officer and an oiler.
The gang demands still for a ransom to release them.
Marine observers believe the group holding the vessel, seen already earlier as unseaworthy by NATO officials, will try to get the ship afloat, but lack an auxiliary vessel to pull the ship from the beach. Therefore the vessel appears to be now lost for the shipowner, which is why we strike it off our monitoring list. It is in this case not believed by analysts that the stranding of the vessel was organized to cash in on an insurance.
However, the biggest problem is now to free the remaining four crew-members and to secure their safe repatriation, since it appears that they can no longer be freed together with their vessel.A human rights monitor could get proof of life for the remaining four sailors over a crackling mobile phone line in a re-routed conference call.
The Chief Officer, who gave his name as Ton Wiasing, said in broken English that they are four Thai nationals and he did plead for help to the ship-owner, his government and anyone who can help, because still the gang demands for a ransom to release them. The government of Thailand and the vessel owner have been informed.
The four remaining hostages are now held for ransom on land near Dinowda.
MSV SHUVAL : Seized May 08, 2010. Latest information retrieved about the fate of this Yemen-flagged vessel confirmed a sighting at Garacad, where the vessel was at anchorage on 9. June 2010. Yemeni authorities could not tell the number of crew and were further investigating, but have not been able to provide any tangible information.
FV NN YEMEN : Seized August 26, 2010. The earlier reports provided by maritime observers speaking of the capture of a fishing vessel were confirmed now to the extend that the type and flag of the vessel have been identified. The Yemeni fishing vessel with at least 10 sailors on board was seized in the territorial waters of Somalia. The name of the vessel and Yemeni registration is not yet known. The Yemeni boat was sailing near the north coast of Somalia when the captors attacked it with small skiffs. They later headed toward the Somali coast. Present location unknown. At the beginning of November 2010 in total at least five Yemeni fishing vessels were held by the Somali sea-gangs, though the Yemen authorities could not provide a detailed account. The case of this vessel has not yet been closed - the vessel is missing and wanted.
MT OLIB G : Seized September 08, 2010. Reports from our local observers were confirmed by EU NAVFOR: Early on the morning of 8 September, the Greek-owned, Malta-flagged Merchant Vessel (M/V) MT OLIB G (IMO 8026608) - a Greek-owned chemical tanker - was pirated in the east part of the protected Gulf of Aden corridor. After having received a report from a merchant vessel that a skiff was approaching MV OLIB G, and after several unsuccessful attempts to make contact with the vessel, the USS PRINCETON warship of Task Force 151 launched its helicopter. The helicopter was able to identify two pirates on board MT OLIB G, the EU report stated. The MT OLIB G was sailing West in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor en route from Alexandria to India through the Gulf of Aden - allegedly carrying only ballast. The Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) is an area in which EU NAVFOR (Task Force 465), NATO (Task Force 508) and Combined Maritime Force (Task Force 151) coordinate the patrol of maritime transits. It is, however, not known yet if the vessel was involved in dumping or why it was just sailing with ballast. The MT OLIB G, deadweight 6,375 tons, has a crew of 18, among which are 15 Georgian and 3 Turkish. Crew and vessel are not covered by ITF Agreement. The vessel has as registered owners FRIO MARITIME SA and as manager FRIO VENTURES SA, , which apparently went into receivership, both of Athens in Greece. The attack group is said to consist of people from the Majerteen (Puntland) and Warsangeli (Sanaag) clans, who had set out from Elayo. After the well timed attack - more or less synchronized with attacks on two other vessels - and the subsequent overpowering of the crew the vessel was then commandeered towards the Indian Ocean coast of Somalia, where it was first held near Eyl and then off Kulub. According to media reports the owner of the vessel initially offered a ransom of $75,000, but later raised it to $150,000. However, the sea pirates want no less than $15 million, a Press TV correspondent reported, which is a totally unrealistic figure.
"Our sons and husbands are innocent, like the Somali people, and we ask the pirates, al-Shabaab and all Somalia to show humanity, in the name of God," Kakhaberidze Nazibrola, wife of the ship's Master, said in an articled written on behalf of the families of the crew.Information had transpired that the Georgian government made arrangements with the vessel owner to free the ship and crew by end of February 2010, but that hasn't come true yet.
Vessel and crew are at present still held south of Eyl and north of Garacad near a place called Ceel Fusc at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia and different reports about continued conflicts have been received.
Negotiations are on and off.
MSV NASTA AL YEMEN : Reportedly seized on Sept. 14, 2010. Number of crew yet unknown, but presumed 9. Further report awaited from Yemen.SEVEN INDIAN CREW OF MT ASPHALT VENTURE : Seized September 28, 2010. The Panama-flagged asphalt tanker MT ASPHALT VENTURE (IMO 8875798) was captured on her way from Mombasa - where the vessel left at noon on 27. September, southbound to Durban, at 20h06 UTC = 23h06 local time in position 07 09 S 40 59 E. The vessel was sailing in ballast and a second alarm was received at 00h58 UTC = 03h58 LT. The ship with its 15 all Indian crew was then observed to have turned around and is at present commandeered northwards to Somalia. EU NAVFOR confirmed the case only in the late afternoon of 29. September. Information from the ground says a pirate group from Brawa had captured the vessel and at first it was reported that the vessel was heading towards Harardheere at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast, while the tanker had first contact at the Somali coast near Hobyo and was then commandeered further north. The vessel is managed by ISM manager OMCI SHIPMANAGEMENT PVT LTD from Mumbai and owned by BITUMEN INVEST AS from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, who uses INTER GLOBAL SHIPPING LTD from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates as ship-handler. The Government of India and other authorities are informed. Concerning the condition of the crew so far no casualties or injuries are reported, but the vessel seems to have had an engine problem. Negotiations had commenced but have so far not been reaching anywhere. Vessel and crew were held off Kulub at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia, then had been transferred southwards to Ceel Gaan in the Harardheere area at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast with negotiations more stuck than smooth; and when the crew reportedly had no more food, clean water and diesel a hasty and ill-planned release against a ransom drop was enacted on 15. April 2011. While the vessel got away at least some distance, seven Indian crew were left behind on the beach, who continue to be held as hostages.Sunil Puri, a New Delhi-based spokesman for Interglobal, a United Arab Emirates-based company that owns the ship, called the pirates' action "unprecedented," and said to the media that it wasn't immediately clear why the pirates acted as they did. "We are still trying to ascertain why that happened. We kept our side of the bargain. We don't know why they weren't released. This is an unprecedented situation. In the past they have always kept their word," Puri told AP.
"It was a joint understanding among us not to release any Indian citizens," a pirate who gave his name as Abdi told Reuters from pirate stronghold Harardhere. "India has not only declared war against us, but also it has risked the lives of many hostages," he said.
However, it is clear that the release operation was not properly planned and executed - analysts maintain. Already before this case and at present 15 other sailors from three different cases are held hostage on land without their ships, awaiting to be freed.
"My name is Bahadur Singh. I'm the chief engineer of Asphalt Venture held by Somali pirates. We are seven people here," said the hostage in a contact CNN-IBN made and which gave a proof of life.Indian seafarers, organized by the National Union of Seafarers of India (NUSI), the Maritime Union of India as well as shipowners' representatives, marched in Mumbai on 27. April 2011 to demand action against piracy and to show solidarity with the seven crew members of the Asphalt Venture held hostage in Somalia despite the fact that a ransom was paid. After waiting in vain for about a fortnight in Somali waters for the release of seven members still held hostage by Somali pirates, Indian freighter Asphalt Venture with its eight freed crew reached Mombasa in Kenya with only half the crew. "With the engineering officers still in captivity and no engine power, the vessel proceeded slowly under tug tow and under escort of an Indian Naval frigate out of Somali waters," the statement added.
So far it is not clear if India is prepared to arrange for a swap.
The son of the Chief Engineer of the captive ship under Somali pirates Kapil Grewal, has lashed out at the government and demanded immediate intervention from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.Captive sailor Bahadur Singh's son, Kapil Grewal, said "Mr Manmohan Singh is the leader of one of the most powerful nations today, and it is time he acts like one. It is not a question of my father, it is a question of several fathers, brother and sons, so treat them as your own family."Grewal's father Bahadur Singh, the Chief Engineer of Asphalt Venture is still in Somali pirates' captivity along with six other officers in spite of a ransom payment and the worst is, unlike earlier when they were confined to the ship, now they are at an undisclosed location near Haradhere in Somalia."
In the case of MV Iceberg and MV Suez, the government had maintained that all that it can do is put pressure on the ship owner to expedite negotiations, but in the case of Asphalt Venture the ship owner has already paid a ransom and now the ball is firmly in the government's court as to how they will negotiate with the pirates.
meanwhile the owners of Asphalt Venture reportedly have been able to re-establish contact with the negotiators, opening up a fresh channel of dialogue to get back the remaining hostages. This case will show if the demand to release the over 120 Somali brethren from Indian prison in exchange for the seven Indian hostages is serious or if the pirate-gang just used the talk to increase the ransom.
The captain of MV Asphalt Venture, who was released along with seven others, had offered to go back and hold talks for release of the remaining crew, while the newly founded Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG) of the Indian government only decided that it would "wait and watch for the outcome of negotiations between pirates and ship owners."
But now sources from the shipping company stated that the pirates do not want to carry on with any dialogue involving the company and instead want to speak directly with the Government of India. The pirates want to talk about their accomplices who are currently in Indian custody after they were arrested following Indian Navy and Coast Guard operations in the Indian Ocean in the last few months. But New Delhi, it seems, doesn't want to negotiate with the pirates. The decision was taken at an Inter-Ministerial Group (IMG),
However, the Punjab and Haryana High Court now issued notices to the Central government of India on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking release of Indian Nationals held hostage by Somali pirates. A division bench headed by acting Chief Justice A K Goel issued notices to the Central government on a PIL filed by World Human Rights Protection Council through its chairman Advocate Ranjan Lakhanpal.
The Indian state organs are meanwhile holding at least 126 Somalis from piracy connected cases in detention.
While the Indian government leaves the case to the vessel owner and the vessel owner found it difficult to negotiate anything concerning an exchange - together the resulting sotuation is that hardly anynegotiations are forthcoming and of late communications have broken down.
FV NN IRAN : Seized October 01, 2010. The Iranian fishing vessel with her 13 crew was attacked by Somali pirates when sailing together with another Iranian fishing vessel. One of the two Iranian boats escaped, but this one with 13 crew mebers is still missing and is wanted.
MSV ZOULFICAR (aka M.S.V. Madina Zulficar?): Seized on October 19, 2010. This is a motorized sailing dhow, which was captured near the Socotra archipelago. It must not be mixed with the case of earlier pirated Comorian MV ALY ZOULFECAR, which is free. Yemen authorities stated that it would not be a Yemeni vessel, but could possibly be from Iran. Number of crew is not known and further details are awaited. It could, however, be the M.S.V. Madina Zulficar, a known blockade-breaker registered in India, but often flying the flag of the UAE or Somalia. The vessel is missing and wanted.
MSV AL-NASSR : Seized October 28, 2010 off Socotra.The motorized Dhow was captured on October 28, 2010 at 11h56 UTC (14h56 local time) in position 12:08N – 054:25E off Socotra Island, Somalia, according to the IMB Piracy reporting centre. Once a British protectorate, along with the remainder of the Mahra State of Qishn and Socotra and being a strategic important point, the four islands making the Archipelago of Socotra were accorded by the UN in 1967 to Yemen, though they are very close to the mainland of the very tip of north-eastern Somalia. Several of the female lineages of the inhabitants on the island, notably those in mtDNA haplogroup N, are reportedly found nowhere else on earth. The Dhow with presently unknown flag and about 10 crew was heading now towards the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor of the Gulf of Aden (IRTC) and is likely to be used as pirate-base and/or decoy to capture a larger vessel. Further reports are awaited.
MT POLAR : Seized Oct. 30, 2010. Armed pirates in two skiffs boarded and sea-jacked the Liberian-owned product tanker MT POLAR (IMO 9299563) with 24 crew members aboard in the very early morning hours at 01h40 UTC (04h30 local time on 30. October 2010 in position 12:12N – 064:53E. The incident occurred according to the Piracy Reporting Centre 633nm east of Socotra island, off Somalia; or 684 miles (1,100 kilometres) east of the Indian Ocean island of Socotra according to EU NAVFOR. According to a EU NAVFOR statement the owners of the Panamanian-flagged 72,825 dwt vessel MV POLAR, Herculito Maritime Ltd, confirmed early Saturday that pirates are in command of the ship, which was en route from St. Petersburg and Kronstadt to Singapore with a cargo of fuel oil.
While it is undisputed that the ship originally had 24 crew members, EU NAVFOR reported one Romanian, three Greek nationals, four nationals from Montenegro and 16 Filipinos, but according to the ICSW (International Committee on Seafarer's Welfare) there are three Greek nationals, 16 Pinoy seafarers, three from Montenegro and one Romanian as well as one Serb. In connection with this case AFP concluded that though naval powers have deployed dozens of warships to patrol the region's waters they have failed to stem piracy, one of the few thriving businesses for coastal communities in a country devastated by war and poverty. According to reports from Somalia the already sea-jacked Iranian fishing vessel from Hobyo was used to capture this vessel in tandem with covering VLCC SHAMHO DREAM. Allegedly the captain of the Iranian fishing vessel thereafter received money from the pirates and was released with his vessel and crew.
Paradise Navigation S.A. is a Panamanian registered company, established in Greece under law 89
Constantinos Tsakiris is the Chairmman and Managing Director of Paradise Navigation SA, a shipping management company established in Greece and founded back in 1968, as Navipower Compania Naviera SA, by the Tsakiris family, a traditional Greek ship-owning and operating family.
Constantinos Tsakiris is the Chairmman and Managing Director of Paradise Navigation SA, a shipping management company established in Greece and founded back in 1968, as Navipower Compania Naviera SA, by the Tsakiris family, a traditional Greek ship-owning and operating family.MT POLAR had reached the Somali coast in the morning of 30. October and was held off Hobyo. On Monday, 22. November 2010 one Filipino seafarer was reported by the Seafarers Network from Greece to have died allegedly of a heart attack.At 02h33UTC on 23 November 2010, MV POLAR was reported in position 07°49N 055°53E - apparently on a piracy mission. At 19h40 UTC on 25. November 2010, MV POLAR was observed in position 09 29N 068 44E, course 258, speed 12.6 kts. The pirated vessel was conducting piracy operations, using the surviving crew members as human shield, was briefly back and held off Hobyo at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast, but is then was conducting again pirate operations. MV POLAR was observed at 16h38 UTC on 10. March 2011 in position 06 36 N 051 20 38 E on a course of 079 with speed 10 kts possibly acting as pirate launch.
Thereafter the vessel returned to the coast and is held since the beginning of April 2011 at Ceel Caduur north of Hobyo at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast.
The negotiations appeared to have been completed and a release operation was expected - as reported on the 10. of June 2011 from Somalia. But a final agreement was apparently then challenged due to disagreements among the pirates and a decisive move to reach a final conclusion and to end the ordeal had to be undertaken. Since also the supernumerals who were earlier on board were off the vessel, a release was expected soon. However, renewed differences between members of the pirate group holding vessel made a release planned for the beginning of August so far impossible. One of the reasons seems to be a disagreement concerning the modlities of ransom payment. While Greek vessel owners of late preferred a hidden way to make ransom money transfers to the pirate investors, it appears that at least one part of the gang holding MV POLAR doesn't agree. Facilitators of such payments through money transfer systems usually demand a huge percentage as commission. On 08. August 2011 it was reported that the conflict among the pirates persists with crew and vessel still being held north of Hobyo.
SY CHOIZIL : Seized 26. October 2010. South-African owned SY CHOIZIL was sea-jacked after having left Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Though news through the seafarer's network had broken much earlier, the case was officially only confirmed on 08. November. The yacht is owned and was sailed by South African skipper Peter Eldridge from Richards Bay on the northeast coast of KwaZulu Natal, who escaped after the yacht was commandeered to Somalia, while his South African team-mates Bruno Pelizzari (named by one wire service once "Pekezari"), in his 50's, with partner Deborah from Durban were taken off the boat and are still held hostage on land in Somalia. Several questions remain still unanswered, though after the return of the skipper to South-Africa it was officially stated that the yacht had been abducted off Kenya this is still conflicting with other naval reports. Since the own yacht of the abducted couple is still moored at the harbour in Dar es Salaam it could well be that they only joined or actually hired skipper Eldridge first for a short trip north to Kenya.Both present hostages, Bruno Pelizzari and his girlfriend "Debbie", Deborah Calitz, were on board when the yacht under the command of Peter Endrigde allegedly heading south to Richards Bay from Dar es Salaam in Tanzania on October 21 or 22. Together with the skipper and owner of the yacht, the trio were said at first to have then encountered the pirates on 31. October 2010 in the open sea.At least one of the attacking pirates appeared to have been from Tanzania and spoke KiSwahili. However, the sloop rigged sailing yacht set up for long distance cruising was then commandeered to Somalia by five Somalis - apparently with the aim to reach Harardheere at the Central Somali coast.When observers had on 04. November a sighting of a yacht near the Bajuni Island of Koyaama at the Southern coast of Somalia, the search for a missing yacht was on in order to identify the boat and the sailors, but neither the Seychelles nor the network of yachts-people reported any missing yacht, though at that point already even the involvement of a second yacht was not ruled out.Navies were then trailing the yacht at least since 04. November.The fleeing yacht was on 06. November forced by the pursuing navies to come close to Baraawa (Brawa). There the yacht had "officially" again been located by the EU NAVFOR French warship FS FLOREAL when it was "discovered to be sailing suspiciously close to shore", so the statement. Despite numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact the yacht, including a flypast by the warship's helicopter, allegedly no answer was received and the French warship launched her boarding team to investigate further, a EU NAVFOR statement revealed and it was also officially stated that they had received a Mayday signal. Why only then the emergency call was sent and not much earlier, has so far not been explained.After a direct chase by naval forces escalating the situation and the yacht running aground, SY CHOIZIL's skipper Peter Eldridge reportedly jumped over board during a close naval swoop, when also shots were fired and a naval helicopter and a commando team in a speedboat were engaged. Other reports state the owner of the yacht, Peter Eldridge, managed to escape when he refused to leave the boat he built with his own hands 20 years ago. Officials now put it as "the yacht's skipper refused to cooperate" - usually a call for immediate and even deadly response in any hostage situation the world over where armed assailants are involved. However, Peter Eldridge was later picked up by the French navy and was placed into safety on a Dutch naval vessel. He is confirmed to be a South-African by nationality and his next of kin were informed immediately. After he then arrived at the Kenyan harbour of Mombasa on board the Dutch warship, he was handed over to South African officials and brought to Kenya's capital Nairobi, from where he returned to South-Africa.Peter Eldridge, who was a member of the Zululand Yacht Club which uses the Richards Bay Harbour as its base, stated later: "The yacht was attacked by pirates - all men aged between 15 and 50 - on October 26," and thereafter: "They demanded money. They took the money that Deborah and Pelizzari were carrying for their families. They demanded more and we told them that we did not have more because we were ordinary people." Andrew Mwangura, co-ordinator of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme, said earlier he assumed the yacht had been towed to Mombasa as could have been expected with all the naval presence, but at the same time ECOTERRA Intl. received information from their marine monitors in Somalia saying the yacht was left behind by the naval forces and was at that time drifting. Peter Eldridge's wife, Bernadette, told later the South African Times that she did not know whether her husband Peter would return to Somalia to retrieve what's left of his yacht, SY Choizil, which was run aground during the incident. It is, however, unclear how official statements and the owner himself can speak of "having resisted to the pirates" and insisting that he "was not leaving his yacht alone", when at the same time he must have left it to be rescued by the navy."We only can hope that a report speaking of the killing of one man, whereby at present nobody can say if that had been caused by the naval interaction or by the pirates or if it is mixed with another case, will turn out to be not correct at all," a spokesman from ECOTERRA Intl. said on 07. November and added: "and we hope and urge the local elders to ensure that the innocent woman and man will be set free immediately. Since the Al-Shabaab administration, who governs vast areas in Southern Somalia, where the ancient coastal town of Baraawe (Brawa) is located, had earlier openly condemned any act of piracy, it is hoped that a safe and unconditional release of the hostages can be achieved."The naval command of the European Operation Atalanta stated on 09. November that the whereabouts of the other two crew members was "currently unknown, despite a comprehensive search by an EU NAVFOR helicopter."Karl Otto of the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Cape Town stated that the Department of International Relations and Co-operation was handling the hostage situation.International Relations and Co-operation spokesperson Saul Kgomotso Molobi confirmed this on 10. November and said the pirates had not yet made any ransom demand.While the families of the Durban couple are sick with worry while they wait to hear from the kidnappers, the skipper's wife said: "We have been restricted from giving out more information. I have been told not to say more," but did not want to reveal who had told her to keep quiet.South African High Commissioner Ndumiso Ntshinga said he is in constant contact with authorities in Somalia who are involved in the search for Bruno Pelizzari and his girlfriend.Ntshinga indicated that maybe the story that they were taken off Kenya - as the Seychelles had officially claimed - is not correct, by saying: "We have always believed that their reach was mostly around Somalia but if they are going to be going down to the Gulf of Mozambique then it is worrying," said Ntshinga. Naval sources not with EU NAVFOR had earlier stated the attack was at the boundary between Tanzania and Kenya while other naval sources had spoken of the boundary between Tanzania and Mozambique.After two weeks into the crisis the South African government still stated only: "At this point in time we do not know where they are. We have instructed our consulate to handle the matter," foreign ministry spokesman Malusi Mogale told AFP.
Director of Consular Services at the International Relations Department, Albie Laubscher, said all they can do is wait."The situation is that we are expecting the pirates to make contact in some way or another."Information from Somalia says that the couple was held then for a few days held firth south and then inside Brawa but thereafter was moved to an undisclosed location.For the Government of South Africa Mr. Albie Laubscher, the director of consular services at the Department of International Relations and Co-operation, said the families of the Durban couple had been briefed that the hostage drama could be a long, drawn-out affair. He said it was government policy not to pay ransom. The escaped skipper Peter Eldridge maintains that they had been sea-jacked off the Kenyan coast, but failed to explained why they were there instead on their planned route to the South from Dar es Salaam.
A friend of Pelizzari, Jason Merle, said the former elevator technician had decided about four years ago to sell his house and build a yacht. 'He and Debbie invested their lives in that boat, which is now docked in Dar es Salaam, waiting for them to come back to Tanzania,' Merle said. 'They don't have any money. Neither does the family. Ransom is going to be pointless. They're not going to get anything out of that couple. The only thing they have is that yacht and a laptop.'
The abducted yacht SY CHOIZIL is still held at the Somali coast, while the couple is now said to be held somewhere in the area of Somalia's embattled capital Mogadishu.In an effort to send the message to pirates that Deborah is African born and should not be treated like a European or an American, Deborah's brother Dale van der Merwe has denied media reports his sister was of British or Italian descent. 'She does not have any British ties and has never set foot in Britain. We are worried that should her captors read this... it may skew their perception of who Debbie really is and try attach values to her as it was done in the case of the recently released British Chandler couple.' He said the couple were 'ordinary workers'. They had been sailing for almost two years, stopping at ports on Africa's coast to 'visit and do occasional work'. See: http://yachtpals.com/node/12445'Anyone who knows or meets them (including their captors) will see that they are gentle and kind people who are not interested in politics but only love sailing, ' he said and added 'Debbie and Bruno will help anyone regardless of their politics, religion, nationality or race, and frequently at their own cost. They are just fellow Africans who work hard and have a passion for sailing."The family asked the couple's captors to keep them unharmed and release them back to their families and children, whom they have not seen for so long.
The Dutch Navy detained two groups of Somalis during the last week of November, believing those arrested could be involved in the abduction of Bruno Pelizzari and his girlfriend Deborah Calitz. The people on board of two different skiffs threw their guns overboard when they realised they were about to be attacked by a naval force. But only skipper Peter Eldridge would be able to confirm whether any of the suspects were involved in the attack. Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme said fishermen and coastal traders also carried weapons in these dangerous waters and the Dutch Navy could have the wrong men and add to the complications. The Kenyan and the South-African government had refused to accept the men for prosecution, since there was no evidence, and the Dutch Navy was for days in limbo - not knowing what to do with them. Then on 05 November five of these Somalis were flown on a military plane to Eindhoven, in the south of the Netherlands to stand trial in Rotterdam for abducting the two South Africans from their yacht. The five were among some 20 suspected pirates rounded up last month in two separate operations. The other 15 were released due to a lack of evidence at an undisclosed location and their case is seen by human rights lawyers as illegal arrest and possible refoulement.After now more than one month the South African government maintains that no ransom demands have been made, but has not stated if there was no contact or if other demands were brought forward.
According to South African officials there was still no sign of the South African couple captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia at the end of November and Carte Blanche spoke to their Durban-based families, who are concerned that there've been no ransom demands.
International Relations spokesman Clayson Monyela said on 10. December that the kidnappers have yet to make contact with the South African government or the relatives of Bruno Pelizzari and his partner, Deborah Calitz.
It seems that the first contact possibilities were lost by the South-African officials.
The daughter of Mrs. Calitz also appealed to the captors to at least come forward and start talks on a release.
But after two months, on Thursday, 25. December 2010, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Clayson Monyela still could only say: "There is nothing new on the South African couple who were hijacked by Somali pirates." Mrs. Calitz' brother Dale van der Merwe said: "The situation stays unchanged, we are still waiting for information.
Skipper Peter Eldridge was in January 2011 interviewed by police and court officials in the Netherlands on the case and reportedly testified that the attack had happened off Tanzania and not off Kenya, as he allegedly had stated to South African officials earlier, who issued this as statement. As South African media reported, Eldridge stated that he also looked at photographs of the accused men and identified some of them as the pirates who had hijacked the Choizil. Why he was not taken through a proper process of identification and raises questions for the defence lawyers.
As of mid January 2011 communication lines seem to have been established with those who hold the couple now and the yacht is used off Barawa to shuttle from and to the illegal dhows, who load charcoal at the coastal town for illegal export. While the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia has no say in that area also the Islamist Al Shabaab administration seems to do nothing against this illegal trade, which also has been termed haram already by several Muslim scholars.
An article by a South-African media house exaggerating the ransom demands while quoting unnamed sources of so-called family friends, was not only rubbished in South-Africa but also from circles close those, who hold the couple in the moment. Andrew Mwangura, officer of the Seafarer's Assistance Program, and frequent reporter on pirate issues, had earlier said that the pirates could be persuaded to take a smaller sum. It seems that unscrupulous brokers and media have no restraint in trying to hype up the story.
However, the brother of Mrs. Calitz said on 31. January 2011 that any ransom demand for his sister was "pointless" unless he could speak to her. Dale van der Merwe said he had asked telephone callers demanding a USD10 million (R70m) ransom for the release of his sister Deborah Calitz for proof that she was alive. "I said to them: 'If you really are who you say who you are, then let me speak to her.' They said no." And van der Merwe appealed again: "We are asking you to please let them go... They are just ordinary Africans like yourselves with similar problems, we are not rich."
International Relations and Cooperation Deputy Director General, Clayson Monyela, said the department was doing its part to ensure the safe return of the two, while also the calls of the three daughters of Deborah Calitz to free their mother have so far not been responded to by the kidnappers.
While the official line of the South African Government to not negotiate or pay ransoms remains unchanged, in mid February 2011 a second brother of Mrs. Calitz - Kevin van der Merwe who lives in Auckland, New Zealand - broke the silence and called for a public funds-drive to enable the family to make an offer for a release to the Somali hostage takers, who hold them now. He said time was running out and they had to do something, adding: ''I am very worried about them mentally and physically.'' A trust account was being set up and he said even the smallest donation would help.
The ransom demanded for the safe release of a Durban couple being held hostage by Somali pirates has been dropped by half, with religious leaders in Mogadishu putting pressure on the pirates to let them go unconditionally, but neither will the family be able to collect the still multimillion dollar ransom nor do they seem to get the right advice and as longer the case takes as more complicated it will get to finalize it.
The obvious media black-out until June 2011 was only interrupted by the spread of false rumours and has not helped the hostages a bit.
On 20. June 2011 Deborah Calitz's daughter, Samantha, then broke the silence and told Eyewitnessnews she believes her mother is alive, after the pirates answered a proof of life question two weeks ago and she said the family is still hopeful she will be released unharmed. Neither Calitz nor her partner Bruno Pelizzari have been allowed to speak to their families but De Jesus said the news they have received is good. "Apparently they are being kept in a compound type of a place where they can exercise and walk around a bit," she said. She said they are still trying to negotiate down the ransom the pirates are demanding. While a Somalia-reporting website and South-African news-outlets engage in pure speculations, the relatives of Pelizzari say they have not received fresh information. They hope the couple will be released as it is impossible for them to raise the demanded ransom.
Meanwhile the yacht, which had been taken by the pirate group to the South but had broken down with engine failure has disappeared again from the island of Koyama. Local elder reported in the beginning of July that they are happy to no longer be threatened by the sea-gangsters.
Van der Merwe said he knew the couple were alive because during each phone call he asked "proof of life questions", which were always answered correctly.
Department of International Relations and Co-operation spokesman Clayson Monyela said the government was working with the Pelizzari and Calitz families but would not pay or compensate any ransom money.
The Dutch navy had caught five Somali men two weeks after the hijack. A Dutch court on 12. August 2011 sentenced two Somali pirates, who were involved in the hijack of the South African yacht to up to seven years in jail. The men were convicted of seizing the boat off Tanzania and abducting the South African couple, who remain missing. The three other Somalis - captured at the same time heavily armed with machine guns and bazookas - were also convicted of piracy, although their involvement in the hijack could not be proven.
The court stated that it could be clarified that the yacht and her originally 3 person crew had been captured off the Tanzania coast - and not off Lamu/Kenya or the Tanzanian-Kenyan border, which contradicting official reports from governments and navies had claimed (see above).
FV AL JAZEERA : Seized November 04, 2010. The Yemeni fishing vessel with an unknown number of crew is missing and wanted.
MSV AL BOGARI : Sighted November 7, 2010, as being hijacked, no further data.
FV SAMANALI (Lorance) : Seized Nov 11, 2010 or shortly thereafter. The missing Sri Lankan Fishing Vessel Samanali (Lorance) has the Registration Number 1 DAY-A-0164-NBO. The names of the 4 man crew consisting of the skipper and three crew-fishermen have been provided with the crewlist.They are all of Sri Lankan nationality. The small 34 ft. (10.36 m) wooden fishing boat sports as maincolour a light Blue with red and yellow stripes. The deck colour is white.
Vessel and crew sailed on 10. November 2010 at 17h45 from Hendala, at Wattala on Sri Lanka's Western coast.
It was between 10th November and 30th November that two other Sri Lankan FV's were attacked by suspected Somali Piratesand it is feared that this FV may have also been pirated. The vessel is still missing and wanted.
FV NN COMOROS : Seized on November 18, 2010. The Comoros-flagged fishing vessel with a two man crew was confirmed sea-jacked inside the territorial waters of the Comoros. So far the identity of the vessel has not been released and the fate of the crew is not known.
MV ALBEDO : Seized on November 26, 2010. The Malaysia-flagged box-ship MV ALBEDO (IMO 9041162) en route from Jebel Ali in the UAE to Mombasa in Kenya was boarded in the early morning hours and an alarm was raised at 03h00 UTC (06h00 LT) in position 05:38N – 068:27E, which is around 255 nm west of the Maldives group of islands. The master had reported to the Malaysian owners already on that fateful Friday that pirates were on-board and his vessel was hijacked. That information was then forwarded to to the navies. However, EU NAVFOR confirmed only 3 days later on mid-Monday that the vessel was captured. Why EU NAVFOR only reported so late is not known, but maybe because a Danish Navy frigate was sailing Saturday to the rescue of the German freighter MCL Bremen, a multi-purpose 130-metre freighter, which was nearby attacked by pirates. But following standard procedures, the whole crew barricaded themselves in a secret room and the attackers later left that vessel before the warship arrived and MLC BREMEN is reportedly sailing free.
The sea-jacked 1,066-TEU container vessel MV ALBEDO has a crew of 23 sailors. Six hail from Sri Lanka and others from Pakistan, Iran, India and Bangladesh. Registered owner and manager is MAJESTIC ENRICH SHIPPING SDN, which was incorporated on January 25, 2008 as a private limited company under the name of Majestic Enrich Sdn Bhd in Malaysia by Iranian shipping executives and on April 3 changed its name to Majestic Enrich Shipping Sdn Bhd.
According to the owners, most of the containers contain cement, which by now is assumed to have been already rendered unusable due to the extended stay on sea in high humidity. Pirates had claimed that some of the containers had contained weapons.
The vessel was held south of Ceel Gaan at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast off Harardheere, had been briefly used for a spin at the beginning of April 2011, but returned to the coast. Communications to secure the release of vessel and crew ran reportedly into problems and real negotiations for her release are said to have not yet achieved a consent. The vessel is now held off Ceel Dhanaane because a serious problem had also evolved between the two clan groups who have members among the pirate gang holding the vessel. A mock attack by naval forces with close overflights and closing in of a naval vessel only created havoc but did not contribute to a better solution finding. The negotiations haven't resumed and most of the crew is held on land.
FV NN IRAN (Reg: 4/3386) : Seized December 07, 2010. The Iranian fishing vessel with the Registration Number 4/3386 and her crew of 11 was allegedly seized by Somali pirates together with a second Iranian fishing vessel (4/3810), which had been released and did reach Iran. No. 4/3386 is still missing and wanted.
MV MSC PANAMA : Seized December 10, 2010. At 12h12 UTC (09h12 LT) on 10 December 2010 the U.S.American-owned container vessel MSC PANAMA (IMO: 8902125) was reported to be under attack by an armed group of in total five sea-shifta in two skiffs on board in position 09°57S - 041°46E. A Rocket Propelled Grenade was used during the attack which occurred approximately 80 nautical miles east of the Tanzanian/Mozambique border. On the afternoon of 10 December, the merchant vessel was then confirmed pirated and in position Latitude: 10°00S Longitude: 041°51E.
The boxship was en route from Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) to Beira (Mozambique) when the attack occurred.
This southerly attack in the Western Indian Ocean is a further example of the constantly expanding area of pirate activity, triggered by naval activities in the Gulf of Aden and close to the Somali shores and is apparently also serving an agenda of implicating more and more regional countries. One of the the previously sea-jacked fishing vessels was used in the attack.
The 26,288 dwt MSC PANAMA is a Liberian flagged container ship, operated by SHIP MANAGEMENT SERVICES INC from Coral Gables Florida, a US based company and an affiliate of Ultrapetrol, fronting for registered owner EURUS BERLIN LLC. SMS shares an office, address, and employee roster with US-listed owner Ultrapetrol's management subsidiary, Ravenscroft Ship Management. It is said to be an Eastwind container ship, whereby it was noted that Eastwind Maritime Inc., a Marshall Islands Corporation filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of New York on June 24th, 2009 (Case No. 09-14047 - ALG). The vessel is operated under long-term charter by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) and insured with Standard P&I Club per Charles Taylor & Co.
The 1,743-teu box ship has a crew of 23 seafarers, who all are from Myanmar (Burma).
"The Somali pirates let the Burmese crewmen call their families three days ago. All said they were in good health and told their families not to worry about them," an official at the Rangoon branch of St. John's Ship Management said on condition of anonymity to Mizzima News.
Although the crewmen were not in mortal danger, they needed to keep their spirits up while being held by the pirates, Htay Aung, a central executive committee member of the junta-supported Myanmar Overseas Seafarers' Association, said.
The release of the MSC Panama and the crewmen would depend on the negotiations between the pirates and the company and such talks normally take more than two months, Thai-based Seafarers' Union of Burma official Aung Thura told Mizzima. His union had been outlawed by the Burmese ruling governance. The vessel arrived in Somalia and is held now south of Ceel Gaan at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast off Harardheere district, close to MV ALBEDO.
Cargo owners are increasingly upset with MSC - Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. - about the slow pace of the release negotiations.
Meanwhile around six of the badly stored containers from the top have reportedly tipped over in heavier swell and crushed onto the deck. Thereby some broke open, which reportedly contained goods in bulk, like a consignment of shoes, which are now said to be sold in the central Somali town. Other observers stated that these goods came from earlier looted MV RAK AFRICANA.
The crew is reportedly still healthy , though their food stock is finished and they have no more clean drinking water.
Unfortunately the negotiations to solve the case have apparently stalled. Reports from Harardheere revealed that the last contact for release talks was made end of March 2011. Allegedly the pirate gang and the people negotiating for the owners had then not only a disagreement about the level of the ransom, but had fallen apart and no mediation came forward for a long time. Due to this bad situation also some containers have been broken into and some limited looting started, local observers stated. For a while also other hostages were held on the vessel.
A ransom agreement has not been reached between the pirates and the St.Johns Ship Mangement Company which owns the MV Panama, according to the company's Rangoon branch office, stated Htay Aung, a central executive committee member of the Seafarers Union of Burma (SUB) on 05. May 2011. The Liberian-flagged cargo ship has 23 Burmese crewmen aboard. The St.Johns Ship Mangement Company is still paying the crewmen's salary. A spokesman at the Rangoon branch office said the pirates are still in negotiations with the company and stated: 'We hope an agreement will be reached soon. The families of the crewmen are very worried."The vessel was recently moved towards a location north of Hobyo and a release deal apparently fell through.
Reportedly for the moment any negotiations have broken down and the vessel, which reportedly also serves again as a holding cell for other hostages, as well as the crew are held off Ceel Dhanaane at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia.
After five months in the hands of Somali pirates as hostages, the chances for the release of 23 sailors are still slim as negotiations between a Liberia-registered shipping line and the pirates have stalled, said sources with the Rangoon-based St. Johns Ship Management Company. 'The head office is still negotiating with the pirates. We cannot say when the hostages will be released. Negotiations are still underway', their source stated, but local informers maintain that there is apparently no way forward in the moment. After seven month still nothing tangible seems to develop and meanwhile the lifes of some cargo-owners have been made so miserable that they have to seek aid from their native countries. Piracy is cut-throat "business", but irresponsible shipping companies are by no means less "cut-throat" as the case of one family shows, whose posessisions are on the sea-jacked vessel. While the company compensated a cargo owner already, the helpless family is devastated. The vessel is now held north of Hobyo.
MSV SALIM AMADI : Seized December 15, 2010. The motorized cargo dhow of most likely Indian origin was seized at 10h00 LT (07h00 UTC) some 70nm from Bosaso on her way from Dubai to this harbour town of the regional state of Puntland in Somalia. Most likely involved also in a business dispute. Number of crew and their fate is not yet known.
FV NN IRAN (Reg: 4/2742) : Seized January 14, 2010. The Iranian fishing vessel with the Registration Number 4/2742 and her 16 crew was seized by Somali pirates together with a second Iranian fishing vessel and since then was missing and wanted.
MSV AL MUJAHEER : Seized January, 16, 2011. The Yemeni motorized dhow with none of her original crew on board, was abducted and is used by alleged Somali pirates as piracy launch. The vessel is missing and wanted.
MV ORNA : Seized December 20, 2010. The UAE-owned, Panama-flagged bulker MV ORNA (IMO 8312162) was in the morning of 20. December 2010 at 08h29LT (11h29 UTC) reported under attack by pirates in position Latitude: 01°46S Longitude: 060°32E.The bulk carrier was under way to India from Durban and is laden with 26,000 to of coal.
NATO reported that the attack was launched from 2 attack skiffs, with pirates firing small arms and rocket propelled grenades at the merchant vessel en route in the Indian Ocean, approximately 400 nautical miles North East of the island-state of the Seychelles. The vessel was stopped and boarded by at least 4 pirates.
The bulk carrier was then pirated, EU NAVFOR confirmed later and that the number o f crew on board was unknown.
The crew is co-operating and no damage is reported, the EU statement reads, which also stated that MV ORNA was not registered with the naval centres of MSCHOA or UKMTO.
The MV ORNA is a Panama flagged, UAE owned bulk cargo vessel with a dead weight of 27,915 tonnes.
The vessels safety management certificate had been withdrawn by Nippon Kaiji Kyokai already on 14. October this year and the crew is also not covered by an ITF agreement, but unlike other UAE-owned vessels it has still at least an insurance with Sveriges Angfartys Assurans Forening (Swedish Club). Ship manager SWEDISH MANAGEMENT CO SA in Dubai fronts for registered owner SIRAGO SHIPMANAGEMENT SA.There are 19 sailors on board and the crew comprises of one Sri Lankan and 18 Syrians.
The owner of Kassab Intershipping-Swedish Management, Capt Abdul Kadar, said that the cargo ship MV Orna was carrying 26,500 tonnes of coal from Durban, South Africa and was enroute to Okha, India, when it was hijacked.
The vessel is at present commandeered towards the Somali coast.
Capt Kassab said that "the ship was expected to reach the Somali waters by [that] Friday and then only we can start negotiations. Past experiences show that the pirates start negotiations only after reaching their home country's shores."
After arriving at the Somali coast the vessel was held together with the crew first off the coast north of Hobyo, before moving further south towards Ceel Gaan from where it then left the coast.On 26. May 2011 at 09h08 UTC the pirated vessel was reported to be commandeered in position 06 09N and 050 33E with a course of 072 degrees and a speed of 7kts on another piracy mission. It is assumed that the ship is now being abused as a piracy launch with the crew serving as human shield.
On 27. May 2011 at 08h40 UTC MV ORNA was reported in position 07 09N and 053 20E with course 078 degrees and a speed of 7.5 knots.
On 01. June 2011 at 15h34 UTC the commandeered ship was reported in position 11 37N and 061 17E with course 246 degrees and a speed of 4.4 kts.
On 02. June 2011 at 12h24 UTC MV ORNA was reported in position 11 09N amd 059 57E with course 252 degrees and a speed of 5.6 kts.
On 03. June 2011 at 08h14 UTC the vessel was reported in position 10 55N and 57 48E with course 272 degrees and a speed of 6.0 kts, obviously on her way to the Somali coast.
On 05. June 2011 MV ORNA was observed still to be on that track in position 1017N and 05400E with course 258 degrees and speed 5.8 kts.
On 06 June 2011 at 14h54 UTC pirated ship MV ORNA was reported in position 08 59N and 050 52E with course 256 degrees and 6.6 kts.
On 07. June 2011 at 06h18 UTC the vessel was reported in position 07 49N and 050 04E with course 216 and a speed of 6 kts, sailing towards her former anchorage at the Somali North Eastern Indian Ocean coast.
While then being moored at her anchorage north of Harardheere a small fire of possibly electrical cause was reported to have started on 15. June 2011 allegedly at the kitchen and destroyed some staff quarters. The fire did reportedly not cause harm to any person. Conflicting reports spoke of the crew had been taken on land while others said the crew was taken to another nearby vessel, likewise under captivity. Though local residents saw a plume of smoke coming from the vessel, EU NAVFOR said they had no confirmation. The fire was later extinguished, but allegedly also caused damage to the bridge installations and electronics. Rumours that the vessel had sunk are not correct and according to local observers the vessel is still afloat, but a realease of the crew not in sight.
FV SHIUH FU No. 1 : Seized December 25, 2010. At 10h30 UTC on 25. December 2010, the white hulled fishing vessel Shiuh Fu No.1 - CT7 0256 (ID58582) was reported by NATO as sea-jacked by pirates in position 12°58S - 051°52E around 120nm east of Nosy Ankao, Madagascar. A previously hijacked merchant ship was reported to be in the vicinity during the hijacking of the fishing vessel. Itwas then at 11h15 UTC observed to act as piracy launch in position 12°58S - 51°51E, while cruising 293° at a speed of 1 knot.Its original 29 sailor crew consisted of 1 Taiwanese, 14 Vietnamese and 14 Chinese. EU NAVFOR lists only 26 crew. Taiwanese sources stated that the 26 people on board the Kaohsiung-based FV Hsiuh Fu No. 1, consist of the Taiwanese skipper, 12 Chinese and 13 Vietnamese crewmen.
The Republic of China flagged, 700 to long-liner, owned by SHIUH FU FISHERY CO., LTD. of Kaohsiung in Taiwan is apparently licensed by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC NO. 900070256) to fish in these waters. Further reports state that the vessel, which shows on it's side in large letters BI2256, was commandeered further south and was observed on 26. December 2010 heading 172º with a speed of 10 knots at position 15°23'42.00"S, 52°14'45.60"E. The vessel has a powerful 1,200 HP engine and could, however, run faster, which made it a serious threat concerning possible pirate-attacks against merchant vessels in the area. But the old vessel is also frail and might not withstand prolonged use.Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said in a press release it had launched an emergency mission and instructed Taiwan's representative office in Cape Town, South Africa to seek assistance from the government of Madagascar. Back then there has been no communication since Dec. 25 with the Shiuh Fu No. 1, said Samuel Chen (陳士良), director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of African Affairs.On 28. December the vessel maintained its strange search- or forestalling-like pattern along Latitude 52 on the North-Eastern side of Madagascar.But at 03h13 UTC on 29. December 2010, the Pirate Action Group with FV SHIUH FU NO.1 was then reported as going east in position 13 27S - 053 03E with course 102° at speed 9.1 kts.Vice chief Dao Cong Hai of the Vietnamese Department for Management of Overseas Labor said on January 5 that the 12 Vietnamese workers were enrolled by three manpower exporting firms, named Inmasco, Servico and Van Xuan. All of them are from the central provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh. Hai said that the department had instructed the three firms to get in contact with the Taiwanese employer to get information about the Vietnamese sailors and communicate with the victims' families. "This is an unexpected accident. The pirates need money. They need time to evaluate the ship to fix the ransom," Hai said.Local observers reported on 10. January 2010 that the vessel was moored off Ceel Gaan at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast of Harardheere, but thereafter took off again.At 10h50 UTC on 14. Jan 2011, SHIUH FU No.1 acting as mothership, was reported in position 12°21N 055°56E, but came back and was then held off Ceel Caduur north of Hobyo at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast. No proper contact seems to have been maintained between the owner and the captors and the crew is neglected, sick and tired.
End of June 2011 the fishing vessel left again the coast in a mission for the pirates. RFA Fort Victoria spent four days stalking the Shiuh Fu No.1 and the five small skiffs it uses to carry out hijackings, warning merchantmen in the area to stay clear. At the same time a helicopter from the cruiser USS Gettysburg carried out surveillance flights of the pirated vessel. The RFA eventually broke off its shadowing mission and re-joined the Cougar force, led by flagship HMS Albion, while another Allied warship in the region continued to track the Shiuh Fu No.1's movements.Hijacked vessel SHIUH FU No 1 was last reported by aerial surveillance in position 1021N 05720E, course 205 at 7 kts, on 02 July 2011. She was then tracking towards the Somali coast but was still capable of conducting mothership operations. The vessel is now held off Garacad at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia.
Renewed efforts to negotiate a release of vessel and crew are under way and it is hoped that a safe agreement can be reached in order to avert a disaster like it happened with FV JIH CHUN TSAI 68.
The gang holding the vessel had announced already since some time that if the vessel owner, who can simply not afford a large ransom, would not come forward, they would take the vessel out to sea again to hunt for better prey, thereby abusing the crew as human shield. The ship was already involved in fivee cases.
The vessel was then refuelled at the beginning of August and on 06. August 2011 it left from Garacad, but only to turn up north of Hobyo. It is assumed that gang is recruiting some fresh men there and is waiting for the Monsoon and the rough waters to calm down before they go on another piracy mission.
MSV AL SHAMSHIR (sword) (aka MSV SAMSIR) : Seized before December 28, 2010. The most likely Iranian flagged dhow was observed near Ceel Gaan at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast from mid January to at least the beginning of April 2011. Sometimes the boat was together with a larger vessel at 0435N 04805E, near where abandoned MV RAK AFRIKANA is now grounded.
On 02. May 2011 the Danish Navy with warship HDMS ESBERN SNARE under Dutch orders and NATO command again attacked an earlier pirated vessel with hostages on board.
MSV SHAMSHIR was approached and at first only warning shots were fired by the Danish navy (i.e. first shots were fired by the navy).
Then the pirates used the hostages as human shield and threatened that the hostages would be endangered. The pirates continued to commandeer the vessel towards the coast.
The skiffs and the out-board motors of the skiffs were shot up and disabled by Danish naval sniper fire.
The commandeered dhow proceeded towards the coast and the Danish navy then disengaged.
Allegedly nobody was wounded, naval reports say, but local confirmation could not yet be obtained, because the pirate group and their hostages are in hiding.
MSV AL WA'ALA : Seized on or around 01. January 2011. The Yemeni-flagged dhow was seajacked and immediately used as piracy launch. Around 10. March the vessel had a technical failure in the Arabian Sea and likewise commandeered VLCC IRENE SL went out to help. Some Somali pirates and 3 Yemeni crew were taken aboard the large oil carrier. The 3 Yemeni men were then exchanged with a navy vessel in a deal to return the body of a Somali pirate from VLCC IRENE SL, who had been seriously wounded earlier, was then handed to a naval ship, but died on the operation table. At the moment it is not known whether any pirates or crew stayed on AL WA' ALA and what her current status is.
The vessel is wanted.
MV BLIDA : Seized January 01, 2010. At 15h36 UTC (12h36 LT) of New Year's day, the bulk carrier MV BLIDA (IMO 7705635) was attacked by an armed Pirate Action Group of four men in one skiff, which had been launched from earlier pirated MV HANNIBAL II at position Latitude: 15 28N Longitude: 055 51E. The location is approximately 150 nautical miles South East of the port of Salalah, Oman. EU NAVFOR and NATO confirmed the sea-jacking.
The 20,586 tonne Bulk Carrier is Algerian flagged and owned. The vessel was on her way to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from Salalah in Oman at the time of the attack.
The bulker has a multinational crew of 27 seafarers (17 Algerian, 6 Ukrainian - incl. captain-, 2 Filipinos, 1 Indonesian and 1 Jordanian).
The official version is that the vessel is carrying a 24,000 tonnes cargo of Clinker.
MV BLIDA was registered for protection with MSC(HOA) but had not reported to UKMTO, EU NAVFOR stated, but did not explain why the vessel was not protected - especially because the vessel used as pirate-launch - MV HANNIBAL II - was reported earlier by NATO to be in the area.
Ship manager of MV BLIDA is SEKUR HOLDINGS INC of Piraeus, Greece and registered owner is INTERNATIONAL BULK CARRIER of Algeria.
The manager could for the first time on 05. January contact the Ukrainian captain who said the 27-member crew is safe, the Ukrainian foreign ministry in Kiev said. The captain of the Blida bulk carrier told the Greek manager that "no crew member had been injured" during the attack last Saturday and that the sailors were in "satisfactory" condition.
Shipping in Algeria is a government monopoly run by the Algerian state, the National Corporation for Maritime Transport and the Algerian National Navigation Company (Société Nationale de Transports Maritimes et Compagnie Nationale Algérienne de Navigation--SNTM-CNAN).
Earlier on 05. January, shipcharterer IBC said it had received no ransom demand from the unidentified pirates who seized the vessel.
"I don't know who will pay, but I repeat that we have not received such a demand," Nasseredine Mansouri, head of International Bulk Carriers (IBC), an Algerian-Saudi company specialising in maritime cargo transport, told AFP.
Justice Minister Tayeb Belaiz said on 06. January his country would not pay a ransom . Belaiz said in a statement to the press that Algeria was the first country to have "called, before the UN general assembly, for the payment of ransom to criminals and kidnappers to become a criminal act". Paying ransom encourages criminals and finances terrorism, he said. "Algeria does not pay ransom," he said adding that the kidnapped crew had been able to contact their families by telephone.
The vessel had arrived in Somalia and was moored off Garacad at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia as marine observers reported, but then left for a piracy spree and was observed on 22. January 2011 in position Latitude: 09 54N Longitude: 052 56E with course 049 degrees and speed 8.6 kts conducting mother-ship operations.
The Somali pirates were urged to let the vessel go in solidarity with the people of Algeria, but still the vessel and crew are held at Ceel Caduur north of Hobyo at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast, while negotiations have not really been forthcoming.
Algeria has now launched a formal appeal for the release of all hostages held in Africa, including the Algerians captured by Somali pirates early this year, according to Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci.
When asked about the 17 Algerian sailors captured aboard the MV Blida in January, Medelci said that they were in "good condition".
"The Algerian authorities are monitoring the situation and are in regular contact with them through ship owner International Bulk Carriers (IBC), who are negotiating their release," he said.
Toudji Azzedine, from the city of Dellys in Boumerdes province, was among the detained sailors. According to his family, the last communication they had with him was on May 24th. They were told that the crew were in dire conditions. The water (being fed) is dirty, the food rancid," said Abdelkader Achour, whose brother is among the 27 captives. "We ask the Algerian authorities to intervene to speed up their release," he added.
The appeal launched by Medelci came two days after the families of the hostages assembled in front of the IBC headquarters to denounce the authorities' silence regarding the sailors' fate and to demand President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's intervention to save their lives.
The 80-year-old mother of Ismail Kehli, from Algiers, was among the participants. After hearing about her son's abduction, she suffered from paraplegia and was hospitalised.
"What does the minister want from this appeal?" she wondered. "Does he want to say that Algeria will not pay ransom to save the sailors and they will remain there for many years?"
In June 2011 sailor Moundeer Abdul-Rahmango called on Algerian authorities to do more to pave the way for the seamen's release, saying the 17 have been facing heavy-handed and unyielding practices from Somali pirates. He made his appeal during a phone call with his family back home and said he and others hope they will be rescued before the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, starting in August.
Relatives of 17 Algerian sailors held by pirates since January then demonstrated at the beginng of the Ramadan to demand their release, saying they feared the men would not survive Somalia's famine and the Ramadan fast.
"Seventeen Algerian sailors spend the month of Ramadan in Somalia, the country of famine," said a banner at a sit-in by about 30 relatives of the Algerians in central Algiers. "When we last spoke with them by telephone, on July 9, they told us that they would do the fast whatever the conditions of their detention," the brother of one of the captives, Abdelkader Achour, told AFP.
"With their being fed, when they are, with pasta and dirty water, I fear that they will return them to us in coffins," he said, also referring to temperatures of more than 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit). The government says it is "fully mobilised" and following the matter closely. Justice Minister Tayeb Belaiz said in January that Algeria will not pay ransom, saying it encourages criminals and finances terrorism.
MSV AL MUSA : Seized January 09, 2011. The Indian merchant dhow was hijacked along with her 14 Indian crew on or about the 9th of January 2011 while under way off Oman.
The dhow was abducted along with her 14 Indian crew on or about the 9th of January 2011 while under way from Dubai to Salalah around 50nm off the coast of Oman. The vessel is carrying assorted food-stuff and was commandeered to Somalia. The vessel is missing and wanted.
CREW OF MV LEOPARD : Seized January 12, 2011. The six men crew (2 Danes and 4 Filipinos) was snatched from 1,780-dwt weapons transporter MV Leopard.
The MV LEOPARD (IMO 8902096) is owned by a small company named "SHIPCRAFT", which is specialized to haul dangerous, military and nuclear cargoes, the Maritime Bulletin says.
The Leopard is known to be carrying what various informed sources have described as a "sensitive" cargo which is believed to include weapons. Although ships operated by Shipcraft, the Leopard's Danish operator, routinely carry nuclear items, this vessel is not believed to have any on board. Some analysts said it could have been possible that the ship had been disabled by its crew before they hid in the citadel and the Somalis may also have felt that the high-profile nature of the cargo could also have posed a heightened risk of naval or military intervention, but sources from Somalia believe that the real danger concerning the cargo sensed by the Somalis was the reason to abandon the vessel.
It is unknown if the pirates have touched any of the cargo while the welfare of the crew is also not known. Representatives from ShipCraft have steadfastly refused to comment on the issue when contacted by TradeWinds on several occasions on Wednesday and Thursday. The company deactivated its website on Thursday morning as reports began to filter through that the ship was carrying a potentially dangerous cargo and it remains "under construction". Since unprotected, also MV FAINA - a Ukrainian weapons-carrier with battle tanks for Southern Sudan was intercepted by Somali pirates, but in this case held for 144 days with a major diplomatic row evolving concerning the final destination of the weapons, since they had no permits for Sudan.
"We do not know where the crew is and we are concentrating on locating them and bringing them home to safety," Shipcraft chief executive Claus Bech said in a statement.
He confirmed a report late Thursday that the pirates had taken the six crew members -- two Danes including the captain, and four Filipinos -- and abandoned the 1,780-dwt cargo vessel MV Leopard (built 1989).
He did not reveal if the kidnappers had demanded a ransom. Registered shipowner is LODESTAR SHIPHOLDING LTD of Horsholm, Denmark, who has as ISM manager NORDANE SHIPPING A/S.
A search onboard the boat Thursday by Turkish soldiers, who are part of an international NATO-led force in the Gulf of Aden, turned up "neither pirates nor crew members," Bech said.
The shipping company last had contact with The Leopard crew on Wednesday at 1300 GMT, when the captain sent a distress signal indicating that the cargo ship had been "attacked by pirates who were boarding from two speed boats," the statement said.
After receiving the alert, NATO sent the Turkish warship Gaziantep to the scene, a spokesman for the alliance's anti-piracy mission, Jacqui Sheriff, told the Politiken daily's website.
Shipcraft, which has not provided information on what the cargo ship had been carrying, is known as a specialist in shipping explosives and ammunition, the paper reported, adding that The Leopard was transporting weapons.
All the company's ships have traveled in the area with armed guards since pirates attempted to capture another of its cargo ships, The Puma, in mid-2009.
However, Politiken.dk reported that The Leopard had let off its armed guards at the Oman port of Salalah before sailing into a zone considered "safe" where it was attacked.
The crew of MV LEOPARD is not covered by an ITF agreement.
According to TradeWinds and in what represents a major departure from Somali pirates' usual modus operandi, the six seafarers have been snatched and moved to a seized Taiwanese fishing vessel which is operating as a mother-ship.
British sailing couple Paul and Rachel Chandler who had their yacht Lynn Rival hijacked in October 2009 before they were moved to the seized 1,550-teu container vessel Kota Wajar. From there they were taken ashore and held hostage for over a year and only freed last November.
The only other such "off-takes", apart from the Chandlers, were the kidnapping of Juergen Kantner and his partner from their sailing yacht S/Y ROCKALL on 23. June 2008, the kidnapping of Deborah Calitz and Bruno Pelizzari from S/Y CHOIZIL on 26. October 2010 and the snatching of Sri Lankan fishermen Mr. Lal Fernando and Mr. Sugath Fernando from FV LAKMALI on November 30, 2010. However, recent information reaching our marine monitors in Somalia also say that three women (one Tanzania and two Comorian) had been transferred from the vessel on which they where kidnapped - the MV ALY ZOULFECAR. They were, however, later transferred back..
The most likely explanation, why the pirates left the arms-ship, is that the crew managed to flee into the strong-room and disabled the engines. The time to then get to the crew left little time to get the engines working again before a warship would have arrived. The pirates therefore decided to leave the huge amount of ammunition, rockets and missiles, which the vessel was transporting as deliveries from three European countries to states in Asia, because this loot would not be of immediate benefit to the Somali warlords and most likely would have triggered a serious naval response to block the vessel and its goods from reaching the Somali coast. The mastermind then must have decided to order the gang to just kidnapp the crew and disappear on the waiting fishing vessel.
Allegedly the Somalis holding the 6 men crew have already offered a deal to exchange them.
The Danish shipping company said it was searching for the six crew members, while reports from Hobyo say that 4 Somalis including one dead had been delivered by a naval Helicopter to Hobyo. The Filipinos of the Leopard crew are apparently still held there. The two Danes were then held separately from the Filipinos on a vessel off Hobyo together with the two Spaniards. While the Spaniards were freed against a massive ransom from MT SAVINA CAYLYN, the 2 Danes were then held on another vessel north of Hobyo before they were put on land where they are held now together with the other 4 Pinoy crew members.
According to the Danish newspaper Ekstrabladet, the company SHIPCRAFT had allegedly more or less given up on negotiations since around March. For that reason, the Danish Ship Officer's Union had turned the owners of the company in to the police for negligence and they were even criticized by their own organization, Rederiforeningen af 2010, an organization for smaller shipowners in Denmark. It also should be noted that besides the two Danes also four Filipino seamen are held hostage in this case, for whom not many have spoken out - especially not from their government. Meanwhile the hostages are said to be held south-west of Hobyo.
Reports from the ground in Somalia at the beginning of July 2011 indicated that an agreement seemed to have been reached and a release could have been near, but on 08. July 2011 it was then reported that a disagreement between the members of the pirate group, which hail from one sub-clan, has let to a serious setback. The two Danes are now held separately at different locations on land south of Hobyo and according to local marine observers, who spoke with elders close to the scene, appear to have become desperate and sick.
This was confirmed when two videos showing mainly the pleading of the two Danish hostages and one Filipino was was pushed onto the internet. Seriously traumatized the hostages pleaded obviously under duress with the shipowner to get them out and urged their government to oversee that the shipowner gets them free fast, because their health is seriously deteriorating and they fear to be killed.
The captain stated (had to state?) that the shipowner contacted them However, Claus Bech of Shipcraft stated that the company "has since January - and with the advice from renowned security advisers and in close consultation with all relevant parties, amongst others the appropriate authorities - been negotiating for the fastest possible release".
He acknowledged the grave situation by stating: "Our colleagues are under unbelievable pressure, mentally as well as physically," and ensured "that we are doing our very utmost to get our valued colleagues back home from the cruel captivity as soon as possible."
The Captain confirmed that they carried military equipment from Germany, Montenegro, Sweden France and England for Mumbai, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and finally Busan in South Korea.
The Chief Mate stated that especially he himself, but also others in the crew, have serious health problems and are afraid to die. He confirmed that the crew was first held hostage on another vessel but then, since about three month, were kept hidden away in the bush of the coastal hinterland.
MV EAGLE : Seized January 17, 2011. At 06h41 UTC (09h41 LT) on Monday 17. January, the bulk carrier MV EAGLE (IMO 8126408) was attacked and pirated by a single skiff in position Latitude: 13°17N Longitude: 061°42 E. The attack occurred in the Gulf of Aden, 490 nautical miles South West of Salaam, Oman. The pirates had been firing small arms and a Rocket Propelled Grenade before boarding the vessel. There has been no contact with the ship since the attack. The MV EAGLE which is Cypriot flagged and Greek owned, has a deadweight of 52,163 tonnes and a crew of 25 Filipinos (according to the shipowner and DMS of the Cyprus government - not 24 as stated by EU NAVFOR) and was on passage from Aqabar (Jordan) to Paradip (India) when it was attacked.
The Handymax bulker is owned by the Perogiannakis family, Perosea Shipping Co. S.A. of Greece. The company Perosea currently operates just this one rather old bulker , which was built in 1985.
The ITF agreement, which had been agreed as TCC and was covering the crew with the Pan-Hellenic Seamen's Federation (PNO), expired on 05. April 2009 . The crew of the vessel is therefore not covered by an ITF agreement.
There is at present no information concerning the condition of the crew, while the vessel has reached the Somali coast, where was held off Hobyo at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast but then transferred to Ceel Dhanaane at the North-Eastern Somali Indian Ocean coast, while Phillipine officials said they have no information if the negotiations have properly commenced. A previous report by a Norwegian-financed website, quoting local sources and stating the release of the vessel, turned out to be false.
On 10. May 2011 at 07h27 UTC MV EAGLE was reported in position 12 25 N and 060 06 E plying a course of 246 degrees with a speed of 7 knots most likely conduction piracy launch operations. MV EAGLE then went out, apparently to provide support to Taiwanese JIN TSUN C68.EAGLE, which had come under squeeze by navies. MV EAGLE was then also met by MT ZIRKU for supplies.On 13. May 2011 pirated MV EAGLE appeared to have reversed course and was heading back to her anchorage, shaddowed by naval forces, but then changed course again - most likely to join the piracy circus in the Arabian Sea.
At 13h10 UTC on16. May 2011 the commandeered vessel was reported in position 07 17 N and 053 26 E course 260 cruising with a speed of 7 kts and most likely on a piracy mission. It is reported back on the coast and like with all Greek vessels the negotiations take long and families are not informed. A ransom delivery was made on 20. August 2010 and the vessel
MV HOANG SON SUN : Seized January 20, 2010. The vessel MV HOANG SON HUN (IMO 8323862) was seized by pirates, who came onboard shooting at 12h42 UTC in position Latitude: 15°11N Longitude: 059°38, which is approximately 520 nautical miles South East of the port of Muscat, Oman. The 22,835-tonne Bulk carrier is Mongolian flagged and Vietnamese owned, has a crew of 24 Vietnamese nationals and is carrying 21,000 tons of iron ore.
MV HOANG SON SUN was not registered with MSC(HOA) and had not reported to UKMTO.
Owner and manager of the Vietnamese vessel is HOANG SON CO LTD from Thanh Hoa City, Vietnam, who insured it with West of England Shipowners. Unfortunately for the seafarers it has no ITF agreement.
Nguyen Bien Cuong, head of the Hoang Son Co's maritime security department, said the last time his firm had heard from the Vietnamese crew of the cargo ship was Tuesday. However, according to the ship-owner (Hoang Son Company in Thanh Hoa province), the captured ship captain Dinh Tat Thang somehow managed to clandestinely send an email saying that all sailors are in safe condition and themerchant ship has been moved to a Somalia port.
Apart from that, Hoang Son Company has not received any other information, Vietnamese media reported.
Bui Viet Tung, son of chief mechanic Bui Thai Hung, one of hostages, is angry that the company has not made any contact with the pirates. "If Hoang Son Company is not committed to the case, our family will go to Hai Phong northern city to seek more information on my father's situation". On the same day, Hoang Son – deputy director of Hoang Son – told Tuoi Tre the company is working with a UK-based firm specialized in negotiating all things related to hostage and pirates to rescue the victims."The ransom is estimated to hit US$5 million," Hoang Son added and stated that the vessel itself is insured against hijackers by the Vietnam Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development, but that the staff and goods on the ship have no insurance. "If pirates ask for a huge ransom, there's no way the company can afford it," Son said and added: "We need the support of the state and our insurer." Based on this analysts believe that the case will take at least three month, because the British companies are known to take their time, because they are paid for it.Crew and vessel were first held off Hobyo and then the vessel was moored off Ceel Dhanaane at the North-Eastern Somali Indian Ocean coast. Negotiations seem to have become difficult, which is why the captors decided mid July to take the vessel out to sea again. NATO, however, does at present not assess the vessel to be used as piracy launch.
On 28. July 2011 a report sent by a human rights monitor on routine proof of life mission, spoke of now only 22 crew members. It is so far not knows if the 2 missing seamen died or if they could abscond.
MT SAVINA CAYLYN: Seized February 08, 2011. At 04h27 UTC (07h27 local time) Somali pirates sea-jacked the huge Italian crude oil tanker MT SAVINA CAYLYN (IMO 9489285) with 22 crew members in the Indian Ocean en route from the Bashayer oil terminal in Sudan to the port of Pasir Gudang in Malaysia. The attack took place in position Latitude: 12°10N Longitude: 066°00E on the Indian Ocean, which is 673 nm straight east from Socotra Island at the tip of the Horn of Africa and around 360 nm west of the Indian Lakshadweep Islands. The ship is carrying a load of crude oil for ARCADIA, a commodities trading company.
Though Italian newspapers first published the tanker had escaped, European Union Naval Force Somalia spokesman Paddy O'Kennedy confirmed later the Italian flagged and owned MT SAVINA CAYLYN was hijacked. "The vessel was boarded after a sustained attack by one skiff with five suspected pirates firing small arms and four rocket propelled grenades," O'Kennedy said and added: "There is presently no communication with the vessel and no information regarding the condition of the crew of 22 - 5 Italians and 17 Indians."
The 104,255 dwt MT SAVINA CAYLYN had registered with the Maritime Security Centre - Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) and was reporting to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The Aframax of Chinese make was built in 2008 at the Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding shipyard and is insured through Standard P&I Club per Charles Taylor & Co., but so far no information concerning an ITF agreement for the crew was found.
Registered owner is DOLPHIN TANKER SRL for managers FRATELLI D'AMATO SPA , Naples NA, Italy. Fratelli D'Amato Spa is fully owned by Luigi D'Amato, who is also the sole administrator.
Dolphin Tanker s.r.l. is a 50% joint venture between Scerni Group and Fratelli D'Amato S.p.a., and a joint venture between Luigi D'Amato, president of Fratelli D'Amato International Group, and Paolo Scerni, president of Scerni Group - which presently owns 6 tankers. The joint venture might come to an end by mutual consent and banks which granted credit lines for their ships in the past years – i.e., Milan-based Centrobanca, Genoa-based Banca Carige, and Deutsche Bank AG – have been informed of the ongoing restructuring, necessary in order to preserve the earnings from a pool of ships which made last year a 4 million Euros profit.
So far Il Cavaliere del Lavoro (Knight of Labor) Luigi D'Amato serves as the President.
Italian Cmdr. Cosimo Nicastro of the Italian coast guard said the coast guard was alerted by a satellite alarm system about the attack. All Italian ships that register with the coast guard's operations center in Rome have such an alarm system. "There was an exchange of fire between the pirates and crew," Nicastro said and it was observed that the 266 metre long ship slowed down almost to a standstill before it then sped up again and resumed its course, leading the coast guard to think the pirates had climbed on board and are now in command.
Where the pirates instructed to wait for this vessel, like it was the case in other sea-jackings - for instance the weapons-transporting Ro-Ro FAINA or now admittedly the MV SAMHO JEWELRY case?
Initial reports then said no-one was hurt in the attack and Commander Pio Schiano, from the Fratelli D'Amato shipping company in Naples, told a local television channel that he had been in communication with the tanker, stating that the crew were well but no ransom demands had been made.
Italy's foreign ministry released a statement following the attack to announce that a task force had been set up to monitor the situation along with the ministry of defence.
The vessel was then commandeered towards Somalia, while the Italian Navy frigate ZEFFORO, which was some 500 miles away, was heading to the area too.
The 266-m long and 46-m wide vessel was expected in Hobyo at the Central Somali Indian Ocean Coast, when satellite imagery showed it early morning on 10. February still about 330 km off the Somalia coast.
Vessel and crew have meanwhile arrived on 12. February off Hobyo at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast and negotiations are reportedly under way. However the vessel and crew had then been transferred further south to the Harardheere district coast, where the vessel was held off Ceel Gaan and now has been moved to Hobyo.
Two Spaniards, hijacked earlier from VEGA 5 were at the end of their ordeal held hostage on this vessel until their release against a multi-million dollar ransom. The vessel is still moored off Hobyo, while the crew is awaiting progress and conclusion in the negotiations for their own release.
FV AL-FARDOUS (aka FV ALFARDOUS) : Seized February, 12. 2011. The vessel was captured near the disputed islands of Socotra, which are located on the continental shelf of Somalia at the very tip of the Horn of Africa, but were handed to Yemen located across the Gulf of Aden. The crew is consists of eight sailors.
Fishing rights in this fish-rich zone off the coast of Somalia have been leading to disputes since many decades.
European Union's naval mission Atalanta of EU NAVFOR confirmed the capture now in a welcomed move to not only focus their attention on abducted large merchant ships. The vessel is missing and wanted.
7 Crew of SY ING : Seized February 24, 2011. "A Danish yacht was captured by pirates, the Danish foreign ministry confirmed and stated this publicly only on 28. February 2010. The confirmation actually came 4 days after the actual attack and seajacking on 24. February 2011 of the Denmark-flagged sailing boat SY ING, which is why we could release the alert only that day, since it always has also to be ensured that the next of kin are informed first.
According to our information the attack happened in position 14N and 58E, which is around 210 nm from Socotra Island (Yemen), 300 nm from Salalah (Oman) and around 480 nm off the nearest Somali coast at the very tip of the Horn of Africa. (1nm = 1.852 kilometres) The yacht sent a distress signal just before the boat was boarded and two days after the murder 4 Americans on the SY QUEST. The signal was received, but the authorities decided to not let the attack be widely known, a fact, which was later criticized by many cruising sailors, who demand the full information from the naval control centres and other authorities in order to avoid specific danger spots. Denmark's Intelligence agency PET had asked all relatives of the hostages to keep the incident secret, while it is now believed that the information was only confirmed by the Ministry of Foreign affairs at a moment when the hostages were already taken on land.
The 43-foot yacht S/Y ING and her crew of 7 was captured in the Southern Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean en route from the Makunudhoo atoll in the Maldives, from where they had left on 11. February 2011, via Uligan on the 19. February en route to the Red Sea.
S/Y ING and the crew had reported their cruise earlier to UKMTO, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations based in the UAE, which listed itself as primary report and emergency contact. UKMTO had received every day a report with heading and status of the yacht, which at one point even was overflown by a surveillance aircraft.
The sailing yacht S/Y ING with her little over 13m length and 7 tonnes, is a small sloop which features one mast and two sails, a normal mainsail and a jib. The model of this sloop is a Dynamic 43, designed in Norway, and has an not too powerful diesel inboard motor. But it is a fast and well sailing boat, perfect for 2 or 3 couples or a family of up to seven members.
Four adults and three children aged 12, 15 and 17 were a happy crew together, but are now kept hostage. The parents, Skipper Jan Quist Johansen, his wife, Birgit Marie Johansen, their sons, Rune (17) and Hjalte (15), and daughter Naja (13), as well as their two crew employees are all of Danish nationality. The family hails from Kalundborg, west of Copenhagen, Denmark. Also the families of the deckhands have been informed.
A duty officer at the Danish marine command headquarters, SOK, told AFP: "SOK received an SOS from the sailboat and began searching for the whereabouts of the ship and determine what has happened to the crew."
Why the Danish government and the navies failed for four days to alert other cruising sailors in the area about the incident is not known. The naval forces deployed to the area have so far not agreed to escort cruising sailors in convoys through the dangerous Gulf of Aden passage or while having to pass the Arabian Sea, where several incidences happened during the last month, including the pirating of SY QUEST with four American hostages, who were all killed in botched negotiations and despite a failed rescue attempt..The yacht was then commandeered towards Somalia, where still also two other Danes from weapons-ship MV LEOPARD are held hostage by a Somali pirate gang.
Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen said: "It is almost unbearable to think that there are children involved and I can only sharply denounce the pirates' actions" and added: "Government officials will do everything in our power to help the Danes."
While the Danish government said the Danish warship 'Esbern Snare' was dispatched for the area, the navies this time did not make the same mistakes as in the cases of SY TANIT and SY QUEST.
Observers from Puntland first reported that the sailing boat was expected at the North-Eastern Puntland coast near Ceel Dhanaane on the Indian Ocean, which would have been around 660 nm (1,220km) from the point where it was attacked - at the same location where SY QUEST was supposed to make landfall before she was pushed by four U.S. naval vessels further into the Gulf of Aden, where the four American sailors and four Somali hostage takers found their tragic end.
But the sailing yacht, which was driven apparently by only three hostage takers on board full throttle towards the Somali coast, ran out of fuel.MV EMS RIVER a likewise sea-jacked merchant vessel, just before she was released since the ransom already had been delivered, had already been dispatched by the pirates' gang leader to provide cover services against a possible naval attack and then did provide the necessary fuel and towing to reach at least a spot around 38nm north of Bandar Beyla at the North-Eastern Somali Indian Ocean coast, which is called by the locals Hull (Xull), a tiny seasonal fishing camp.From there local observers reported the group of hostages were taken around 20 km inland to a location called Hul Anod (Xuul Canood).
"On behalf of the Puntland state of Somalia, I want to say that we are very sad about the situation," said Ahmed. "In order to save these people, let us wait. Any action, including military action and we have seen what happened to the American couple a couple of days ago, we don't want that to happen again. ... Let us wait, let us wait, please," Gen. Abdirizak Ahmed, who heads the anti-piracy program in Puntland, Somalia's semiautonomous northern region, where most pirates are based, told the media. He just had returned from attending a two-day workshop in Denmark this week on the legal aspects of prosecuting pirates.
Later Wednesday, the Danish government said it had established contact with the pirates and their hostages.
"They are doing well under the circumstances," the Foreign Ministry said in a brief statement, which only stated further that a professional security firm was handling negotiations with the pirates, which hopefully will also bring to an end the many false stories peddled by Somali brokers, who in each of these cases offer their services.
The four adults and three children are now kept hostage on land, which was also confirmed by several of those Puntland elders, who are outraged about the case and want to try to achieve a release without conditions. The family hails from Kalundborg, west of Copenhagen, Denmark, where already popular outrage about the heinous crime as well as great support for the families of the hostages was expressed.
A military attempt to encircle Xuul Canood (Hul Anod) village was staged by Puntland forces on 10. March 2011. The militia which had come out of training - implemented by disputed mercenary company Saracen International and meanwhile banned from operating in Somalia - created havoc and senseless killing as predicted earlier. Ten Puntland soldiers, three alleged pirates, who had received reinforcement of about 200 men, and one civilian - a herder - were reportedly killed in the skirmish, while it is not even sure that the hostages had been at the village at that time. While it is sure that the operation was ordered by Puntland president Farole, using none of the men of his sub-clan, who are said to also be among the pirates, it was not yet confirmed that the Danish government paid for the ill-advised operation. Though a Danish newspaper stated that the seven Danes had been taken back onto their yacht, local observers stated that the family and the two deckhands had been split at the time of the attack into four groups held at different locations.
On 13. March the security minister of Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland Yousuf Ahmed Keyr blamed the international anti piracy forces operating in the Somali coastal waters for not helping to free the Danish family who are still in the hands of the pirates. He refused that ransom money would be paid to free the Danish captives.
"The government will not accept any ransom to be given. Now our forces are sourrounding the area", Yousuf said in his speech, acknowledging that six Puntland soldiers had been killed and five wounded in a recent, botched attempt to free the hostages.
Ahmed Ugas, a Somali parliamentarian, who lived for many years in Demark urged all sides to excercise restraint and warned of a disaster like in the case of SY QUEST, if a rescue by force would be staged again.
Observers believed already back then that some of the Danes were after the attack brought on board of sea-jacked MV DOVER, which was floating off Bandar Beyla.
A group of Danish negotiators has held discussions with the local authorities in Puntland to secure the release of the secure Danish hostages.
Local elders, who demand the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages - among them three children - have so far made only slow progress and their efforts were interrupted by the interference of Puntland forces.
"It is our responsibility to show the international community that we are not happy with what our young boys are doing in holding innocent children and their elderly parents hostages on our soil," the mayor of Bendar Beyla, Said Adan Ali, stated to the media.
Sources close to the elders of the gang holding the Danish hostages from the sailing yacht SY ING reported that the present negotiations between a Danish delegation in Bosasso and the hostage takers are bound to fail.
According to three separate sources the fact that the Danish delegation operates from Bosaaso in close co-operation with the Puntland government, while the armed forces of that administration had already once attacked the gang unsuccessfully and despite the botched attempt and international as well as local warnings again threatened to attack the hostage takers and their supporters in the near future with armed forces, makes it impossible for the hostage takers to trust the Danish negotiation team.
The Danish team had apparently contact with the hostage takers and according to the Danish Foreign Ministry also spoke to some hostages, but could so far not achieve their release.
A famous Somali Nabadon (peacemaker) who had started to negotiate the unconditional release of the hostages continues with his efforts, though many false rumours about the alleged wealth or the whereabouts of the hostages as well as an imminent attack by governmental forces drive all sides crazy.
All the hostages were then held on sea-jacked MV DOVER, while SY ING is kept at the coast near Hurdiyo.
Analysts fear that the arrest by security forces from Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region of four men allegedly belonging to the group holding the seven Danes hostage will complicate matters.
Shocking news, though they were locally not confirmed, were spread in a BBC Radio 4 report by Tom Mangold, broadcast mid April 2011, in which the veteran reporter repeated the story that the thugs had offered to release the family if their 13-year-old daughter was allowed to marry a pirate chief.
Reports from local elders revealed that the situation is tense, because the Danish navy had attacked several pirated vessels over the last four weeks and created havoc along the coasts, though it brought little success.
It is obvious that the health situation of the captives has deteriorated seriously and analyst see the present negotiations - said to be conducted by an inexperienced security company - as rather sluggish.Medical conditions - physical as well as mental - in hostage crews held off Somalia deteriorate at around month three seriously and prosecutors should begin to file cases of torture and attempted homicide in addition to piracy and kidnapping charges in all cases lasting longer.Recent statements by website reporting about Somalia turned out to be false altogether and the 7 Danes are still kept hostage on MV DOVER. Local observers, however, reported that the pirates groups hold the Danes and the merchant vessel have been pressured again by local elders to end the hostage crisis. This time the pirates appeared to listen. But then on 22. July 2011 the pirated tanker MT JUBBA XX was attacked off Bargaal and MV Dover left the scene to avert a confrontation with the hostages on board and the SY ING in tow.
An offically not yet confirmed report on 23. July 2011 then revealed that the towing cable in rough sea had snapped in position 11''43'7 N and 051''25'2 E and that the yacht was drifting northwards and had not being recovered by the pirates. The Danish hostage family of five and their two crew members are still on board of MV DOVER which since 27. July 2011 is again moored off Bargaal. Reportedly the Danish negotiator and the pirate leader have not reached an agreement yet.
MV DOVER : Seized February 28, 2011. At 06h06 UTC (09h06 LT) on 28 February, the Bulk Cargo Carrier MV DOVER (IMO 7433634) was pirated in position Latitude: 18°48N Longitude: 058°52E - approximately 260 nautical miles North East of Salalah in the Northern Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean. NATO and EU NAVFOR confirmed the seajacking.
The Panama-flagged, Greek owned bulker was en route from Port Quasim (Pakistan) to Saleef (Yemen), allegedly fully laden with wheat.
The 38,097 dwt MV DOVER has a crew of 23 (1 Russian, 3 Romanian and 19 Filipinos).
The MV DOVER was registered with MSC(HOA), and was reporting to UKMTO.
WORLDWIDE SHIPMANAGEMENT SA serves as shipmanager for registered owner DOVER NAVIGATION SA, sporting WORLDWIDE SHIPMANAGEMENT SA as ISM manager - all of Piraeus, Greece. The vessel has a valid safety certification, issued by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, but crew is not covered by an ITF agreement.The Pirate action group with their launch vessel was still in the attack area, while the bulker was then commandeered towards Somalia and expected at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia.
Initially there was no communication with the vessel.The condition of the crew is said to be unharmed and so far all right, given the circumstances. However, it is was reported that also the Danish yacht-sailing hostages are held on this vessel, which makes negotiations for the MV DOVER in the moment obsolete.
The vessel is now held, partly drifting (or intentionally changing positions), off the area between Bandar Beyla and Bargaal. At present MV DOVER is close to Hurdiyo, where also the sailing yacht SY ING is held.
Allegedly the specific group of hostage takers, which kidnapped the Danes, has paid out the original captors of MV DOVER and is now in charge of both cases. However, the guards assigned to the two different targets sometimes even have shoot-outs among themselves. The vessel is from time to time moved between Hurdiyo and Ras Binna.
Negotiations are ongoing and ransom demands have been lowered. Allegedly another attempt to free the vessel by delivering a ransom was made on 25. June 2011 according to a website reporting on Somalia, but unfortunately also that second report was false and also the Danish hostages are still on board of that vessel. A new round of negotiations to free MV DOVER and her crew, however, appears to have some prospect.
On 22. July the vessel went off from the shore of Bargaal to evade an attack by the Puntland forces on MV JUBBA XX and did reach up to near Hawo and Alula, but returned five days later without the SY ING, which was earlier in tow when the vessel left. At the end of July the MV DOVER is still moored off Bargaal with the Danish hostages on board. An agreement on the release of the merchant ship appears to have been reached, but concerning the Danish hostages on board such has not yet been achieved and therefore also hinders the release of MV Dover.
MSV ABU AL FADL (aka JELBUT 33): Seized on or around March 10, 2011. The dhow was captured by presumed Somali pirates and abused in a failed attack on a merchant vessel. The boat was then trailed by the Australian navy, which in the course also encountered another pirated dhow MSV AL SHAHAR 75, which they subsequently liberated and let sail free. The present status of MSV ABU AL FADL is not clear and further reports are awaited. The navies call this dhow JELBUT 33 and had two attack skiffs on board. Last known position at 08h43 UTC on 08. May 2011 in position 12 06N and 059 28E with course 035 at 8 knots.
The vessel and crew ar now held at anchor off Ceel Dhanaane.
MSV QUBAIS : Seized March 17, 2011. The vessel was captured in position 080555N and 05111E (off Eyl). The vessel is missing and wanted.
MSV AL KHALIL (aka AL-KHALEEL) : Seized March 24, 2011. The Iran-flagged motorized dhow was captured 500Nm E of Minicoy islands. The pirates were operating from sea-jacked Iranian FV MORTEZA, which itself had been pirated earlier on 28. January 2011 off Mauritius and was then sunk on 27. March 2011 by the Indian Navy. Further details concerning the number of crew etc. are awaited. The vessel was commandeered towards Somalia, is missing and wanted.
FV NN IRAN : REGISTRATION NO.: 4/4039 : Seized April 06, 2011. The Iranian owned and Iran-flagged fishing vessel with a crew of 13 is assumed to have been pirated. Vessel and crew are missing and wanted.
MV ROSALIA D'AMATO : Seized April 21, 2011. At 02h05 UTC on 21. April 2011 the Italy-flagged Bulk Carrier MV ROSALIA D'AMATO (IMO 9225201) was boarded in position 13 17N and 05906E, which is approximately 350 nm South East of Salalah, Oman, in the Arabian Sea of the Indian Ocean, by presumed Somali pirates who had attacked the vessel - according to NATO, who confirmed the sea-jacking, with one dhow and two skiffs.
However, it was found that the pirated fishing vessel FV JIH CHUN TSAI 68 (certainly not a dhow) was involved.
The 74,500 tonne Italian flagged and owned vessel was en route from Paranagua (Brazil) to Bandar Imam Khomeini (Iran) when it was attacked at first only by a single skiff, but then seconded by the others. According to EU NAVFOR,coalition warships had communications with the vessel and were told: 'pirates onboard stay away'.
EU Naval Force Somalia spokesman Paddy O'Kennedy confirmed that the MV Rosalia D'Amato was registered with the Maritime Security Centre-Horn of Africa MSC (HOA) and was reporting to UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The MV ROSALIA D'AMATO has a crew of 21 (6 Italians, 15 Filipinos). The 6 Italians, two are from Sicily, including the commander Orazio Lanza, two from Ischia, one from Vico Equense, and the first officer is native from Meta di Sorrento but lives in Belgium.Owner and manager of the vessel is listed as PERSEVERANZA SHIPPING SRL of Naples, Italy.The bulk carrier is part-owned by Sen. Angelo D'Amato, owner of "Perseverance Navigation" and the nephew of the owner of "Brothers D'Amato. The company Perseveranza SpA is a Company owned by Giuseppe D'Amato and he is now the leader of a family of shipowners that since four generations is known in the world shipping community. Giuseppe D'Amato is unanimously recognized as one of the most prestigious entrepreneurs in the Italian shipowners community. He has been Vice President of Confitarma, the Italian Shipowners Association, for six years; he has been Board Member of the Banca di Credito Popolare di Torre del Greco, the biggest independent regional bank in Southern Italy; he has been Board Member of UMS Generali Marine SpA, the biggest Italian Insurance Company specialised in Maritime Hull and Machinery Risks, that today is a branch of Assicurazioni Generali for transportation; he has just been awarded an honorary degree in Shipping Business at the "Università Parthenope" in Naples.
Operated in a tough commercial sector, all the owned vessels of the shipping company are time chartered for long periods to important Italian and International Groups like Cosco , Armada Group , Cargill , North China Shipping, and others primary operators. The ISM manager for the MV ROSALIA D'AMATO is SHIPS SURVEYS & SERVICES SRL - likewise of Naples.The bulker has a valid safety management certificate and is insured by Standard P&I Club per Charles Taylor & Co., but if the crew is covered by a valid ITF agreement could not be established.
According to media wires, the pirates fired on the 225-metre (738-foot) Panamax-type vessel during the assault but no one was injured and the captain and crew "are in good condition", said Carlo Miccio from the Naples-based company Perseveranza.
"The captain told me everything is okay, relatively speaking," he said. "He was trying to give me more information but the pirates understood what he was doing and they cut the line," he added. Miccio said that tracking equipment showed the ship, which was sailing from Brazil with a cargo of soy-beans, was "almost stationary".
However, other Italian sources stated that two small boats had approached with the pirates and the boarding was done without firing and with no bad consequences for the crew. While the vessel was commandeered towards Somalia, with pirate-launch FV JIH CHUN TSAI 68 tethered to it, which in turn pulled two small skiffs, the U.S.American navy with the U.S.American warship, the USS Stephen W. Groveson, attacked the convoy, but could only destroy the two skiffs in the ill-advised and botched operation, which endangered all the hostages seriously. Luckily no casualties were reported in this incident. But in a second encounter between the same warship and the Taiwanese fishing vessel the Taiwanese captain was killed and two Chinese seamen wounded and the FV CHUN TSAI 68 was sunk. Several Somalis also were killed in this incident and the rest of the gang later set free at the Somali shores. Since they were part of the wider group holding MV Rosalia D'Amato this intervention certain had also no positive impact on a quick solution for the release of the merchant ship.
Vessel and crew are now still held off Ceel Dhanaane at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia and it is understood that negotiations have not yet been really forthcoming.
Reports from the area at the end of July state that the crew is all right, given the circumstances, but that the pirates believe other cargo is hidden under the load, which they say is not only soy beans but also chemicals. Local elders had to intervene to stop them from digging through or offloading the cargo.
Vessel and crew are still held off Hobyo at the end of July.
MT GEMINI : Seized April 30, 2011. The Singapore-flagged chemical tanker MT GEMINI (IMO 8412352) was reported to have been boarded by pirates on 30. April 2011 at 04h03 UTC (07h03 local time) in position Latitude 07 01S Longitude 041 22E, off the Tanzanian coast - 115 nm ESE of Zanzibar Island, Tanzania. NATO stated that they received their report only at 07h33 UTC on 01. May 2011, but confirmed the sea-jacking, stating that two skiffs were seen on board the vessel on her way to Somalia at position Latitude 02 47S and Longitude 043 03E. Just a day before the new sea-jacking NATO had released a map warning of pirate activity in that area. EU NAVFOR has not yet reported.A press statement from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore last night said the vessel had sent out a distress signal at 11.50am Singapore time on Saturday.The vessel has as registered owner GOLDEN SPRING LINE but is owner-managed by GLORY SHIP MANAGEMENT PTE LTD. - all of Singapore. The vessel is, however, in the moment on a spot charter for a Singapore charterer. The ship is insured by the North of England P&I Association, but the crew is not covered by an ITF agreement.The company said the MT Gemini, an ABS class medium-range 29,871 deadweight tonne vessel, is believed to have been hijacked at about 12.30pm Singapore time on Saturday.The vessel was carrying over 28,000 metric tonnes of crude palm oil from Kuala Tanjung in Indonesia to Mombasa in Kenya. It had left Kuala Tanjung, Sumatra, on April 16.
Glory Ship Management confirmed that four of the 25 men crew, including the captain, are from South Korea, 13 are from Indonesia, three are from Myanmar and five are from China.
Its Singapore office last made satellite phone contact with the ship captain in the early afternoon (Singapore time) on April 30 before contact was cut off.
"Our highest concerns are for the safety and well-being of the crew members. Since learning of the incident, Glory's management and its manning agents are exhausting all efforts to contact the family members of the crew in the respective countries," Glory said in a statement on Sunday. "We will make every effort to secure their release. The company is keeping the appropriate Singapore and international authorities fully informed of the situation. As our absolute priority is the safety and well-being of the crew, we are not at liberty to release any further details of the situation," it added.The China Maritime Search and Rescue Center and the Chinese Embassy in Singapore separately confirmed that they have received report on the incident. The crew members include five Chinese nationals, China Maritime Search and Rescue Center said.All four South Koreans on board, including the 56-year-old captain known by his family name Park, are in their 50s, and official from the Korean Foreign Ministry stated. In April a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) maritime patrol plane was deployed to beef up patrols against piracy in Gulf of Aden. The Fokker 50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft and 38 servicemen are supposed to scan the waters off Somalia and protect merchant ships in the area for three months. The team will be based in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti and will operate under the multinational Combined Task Force 151, which is now being led by Singaporeans. Rear-Admiral Harris Chan and 24 other Singapore Armed Forces servicemen have been leading the flotilla's four ships since April 1. They will coordinate counter-piracy operations with naval forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and other navies till June.
The MV GEMINI was registered with MSC(HOA) and was reporting to UKMTO, is at present commandeered further north and already inside Somali waters.
The vessel's operator, Glory Ship Management, said they will lead negotiations with the pirates for a prompt release of all those on board the tanker.
After a brief halt off Mogadishu, the pirated MT GEMINI arrived at the pirate lair off Ceel Gaan (Harardheere District) at the Central Somali Indian Ocean coast on 04. May 2011.
Analysts fear that after the Indonesian Navy at the end of an otherwise excellent release operation for MV SINAR KUDUS spoiled the Indonesian success by killing the last four Somali pirates leaving the vessel the Somali sea-gangs will want to retain a final safety until they are on land and most likely will take in future now hostages with them as human shield. Especially hard treatment of the Indonesian hostages on MT GEMINI could also be a result.
"We are cooperating with the Singaporean government so our sailors will be treated well, given protection and freed soon," Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa told reporters.
"The captain of the vessel contacted the shipping line in Singapore earlier in the day via satellite phone and confirmed all crew members were unharmed," an official source said on 05. May 2011. He said South Korea's embassy in the Southeast Asian country has reported the contact to Seoul. The official, however, said the phone connection was bad and was broken very quickly so the shipping line is waiting to hear more information. At present, the hijackers have yet to make demands or ask the company to pay ransom for the crew and ship.
Htay Aung, a central executive committee member of the Seafarers Union of Burma (SUB), said that the pirates will demand money, but the crew is probably not in mortal danger.
The vessel was moored off Ceel Gaan but left towards Hobyo. Negotiations for the release of vessel and crew have reportedly commenced.
The Somali pirates holding among the other hostages also four South Koreans on MT GEMINI demanded on15 July through different media and phoney websites that the South Korean government must specifically release those pirate prisoners in South Korean jail and pay compensation for several of their relatives killed by a commando raid earlier this year.
"First, we want the South Korean government to change its foolish treatment of us and come with a better approach toward us," he said in a statement read to the AP. "Second, we want compensation from them because they killed our brothers and they also have to release others in their jails. After that we may reconsider holding their nationals in our hands," he said.
Captain Pak Hyeon of the South Korean-managed, Singapore-flag hijacked Gemini contacted VOA by phone on July 16, saying the pirates want Seoul to pay compensation for eight dead comrades and release another five held prisoner. He said the pirates have not named a price.
He also said he and three other crew members are being kept separate from the other hostages. Pak said that the pirates are treating him and his fellow 24 crew members well and that they do not believe they are in any immediate danger. But he said they are fed only twice a day, kept inside aboard their ship and are homesick.
MV SHIHAAN (aka MV SHAAN - name not yet officially confirmed) : Seized 18 July 2011. Local marine observers reported on 18. July 2011 that three smaller cargo vessel were attacked by a large group of sea-shifta just off Bossaso, the harbour town of the Somali regional state of Puntland.
In the ensuing getaway bid the Somali pirates, who had taken a total of 67 seafarers from mainly Asian nations hostage caused damage to the engines in two of the boats, while struggling against the heavy swell.
The two limping vessels were then abandoned and the gang escaped in MV SHIHAAN, taking with them 19 crew from India and Pakistan as hostages and human shield.
The sea-shifta with this vessel didn't bother to come to the coast but took the vessel out to the sea in order to get larger prey.
FV NN PAKISTAN : Seized 09. August 2011. The fishing vessel from Pakistan with 14 crew members was seized by a pirate gang. On board around 20 more passengers where found, who are claimed to be insurgents with U.S.American, British, Italian and Arab nationalities. The armed passengers were released at the shores of Bargaal against a payment and disappeared into the mountains above Xull. The vessel and crew are still commandeered by the pirate group. Further reports are awaited.
FVs NN IRAN : Four more Iranian fishing vessels are missing and wanted. The dates when they were allegedly seajacked by Somali pirates are not known exactly, but we have at least one vessel name: FV HASSAM, a boat which was captured 70 nautical miles off the port of Eyl at the North-Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Somalia, and three of their official registration numbers: 4/2922,4/2985, and 4/3718. Iranian FV AL FAYAD (aka AL FAJAD aka AL AFINIYA) (Reg: 4/3672) was attacked on 20. April 2011 by the Danish navy, killing six - including possibly one crew member and wounding 5 (including one Iranian crew member), off Hobyo and then was attacked again by the same navy operating under NATO and sunk on 21. April 2011. While the 4 Pakistani crew members could already be flown out a humanitarian problem remains in this case to now also repatriate the remaining 10 Iranian crew members. Unfortunately no exact crew lists for the Iranian vessels are usually provided, but it is estimated that at least 45 more Iranian fishermen are held on these boats. One of the sea-jacked Iranian fishing vessels with the registration number 4/3739 was set free on 01. April 2011 by the Danish navy wounding three Somalis while operating under NATO. At the same time the Dutch "liberated" another vessel, MSV HORMUZ (aka URMUZ), which had been seized January 21, 2011 with killing two Somalis and wounding five. In both cases - after repairs - the vessels could sail off, while the two dead Somalis were dumped by the Dutch into the ocean, which caused widespread uproar in Somalia and internationally.
Latest reports stated that two earlier abducted Iranian fishing vessels with the registration numbers 4/3785 and 4/4050 reached on 8. February 2011 and one fishing vessel with the registration 4/3810 and 18 crew reached on 19 Feb 2011 their home ports in Iran safely, though some of the crew were injured. The six Somalis on pirated MSV AL SAADI gave themselves up to the U.S.American navy and the dhow was set free with 15/16 Pakistanis - where the Iranian members of the originally 22 men crew remain is not clear, while one seafarer died.
We try to establish the fate of the others. On 02. June 2011 at 09h55UTC one of these dhows nicknamed "JELBUT 31" was observed as being under pirate control and conducting piracy or smuggling operations in the vicinity of position 02 19N and 050 00E. Her two empty attack skiffs in tow were then destroyed by a German frigate.On 10. June 2011 at 12h05UTC the position of the vessel was reported from 05 55S-041 and 34E. The vessel is still under pirate control, but not longer considered a threat.
Please send any report concerning these vessels to office[AT]ecoterra-international.org
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OTHER CASES NOT COMPLETELY CLOSED:
- please see: Status of not yet resolved Maritime Incidences off Somalia
THIS INFORMATION IS ALSO A WARNING TO VESSELS TRAVERSING THE SOMALI BASIN TO BE AWARE OF LARGER VESSELS BEING USED AS LAUNCHING PAD AND DECOY FOR PIRACY ATTACKS . All vessels navigating in the Indian Ocean are advised to consider keeping East of 60E when routing North/South and to consider routing East of 60E and South of 10S when proceeding to and from ports in South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya. The Indian Government has issued a NOTICE on 30th March 2010: All Indian-flagged motorized sailing vessels are - with immediate effect - no longer permitted to ply the waters south and west of a line joining Salalah (Oman) and Malé (Maldives). NOTIFICATION BY THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT - Issued by The Directorate General of Shipping, Mumbai. DIRECTIONS 31. March 2010 The Directorate has issued directions prohibiting the trading of mechanized sailing vessels south and west of the line joining Salalah and Male, with immediate effect.
Likewise the Government of Sri Lanka has issued a decree instructing especially their fishing vessels not to venture further west than the latitude 70 degrees East.
NON-MARITIME HOSTAGE CASES IN SOMALIA:
Missing: Briton Murray Watson and Kenyan Patrick Amukhuma are missing since 01. April 2008. They were working on a U.N.-funded project in the Juba valley, were seized by gunmen near Bua'le and taken to Jilib, 280 km (175 miles) south of Mogadishu. Media reports until November 2010 maintained they are still being held and close sources reveal that the case is one of a so far Unsuccessful Resolution with no independent proof of live since a long time. While, based on reports from the ground, it could be assumed that Patrick Amukhuma had died, the meanwhile penniless Kenyan-Somali spouse with 3 children of Mr. Watson appealed as recently as October 2010 again for the return of the British researcher. Last observations from Salagle in the Jubba Valley revealed certain activities, which indicate that the case might no longer be a real hostage case.
Political hostage: French officer Denis Allex. Somali gunmen kidnapped two French security advisers working for the Somali TFG government from the Sahafi Hotel in Mogadishu on July 14 2009. Police said one escaped on Aug. 26 after killing three of his captors, but Marc Aubriere denied killing anyone and said he slipped away while his guards slept. A video released by Al Shabab was showing the second officer still being held and political demands for his release were made by Al Shabab. On June 9, 2010 the video appeared on a website often used by Islamist militant groups, which said the hostage, named as Denis Allex, had issued a "message to the French people". The video showed the captive in an orange outfit with armed men standing behind him.
France has received "proof of life" of one of its secret agents held hostage in Somalia since July 2009, the French foreign intelligence service DGSE said on Tuesday, 27. December 2010.
A DGSE source said the service had received "a reply to a personal question" to which Denis Allex, a French secret agent kidnapped by an Islamist group on July 14, 2009, was able to respond, proving he was alive.
"No detail was given by his captors on the state of his health nor on his location or the conditions in which he is being held," the source added. Several, but not very serious attempts from both sides have been made recently to solve the case. Denis Allex is still held somewhere in the Bay-Bakol area.
With the latest captures and releases now still at least 34 (plus 18) seized vessels (of presently 55 listed as not secured) and one barge with a total of not less than 594 hostages or captives are accounted for. Despite a directive by the Philippine government that no Pinoy seafarer should ply these dangerous routes, there are numerous Filipinos currently held captive by pirates. All cases are monitored on our actual case-list, while several other cases of ships, which were observed off the coast of Somalia and have been reported or had reportedly disappeared without a trace or information, are still being followed too. While in 2005 there were only three merchant ships molested off the coast of Somalia and in 2006 four (two merchant and two fishing vessels), in 2007 when Abdullahi Yussufs soldiers had returned to Puntland and were trained to become sea-bandits as well as after the enlargement of the CTF 150 fleet then there were 13 (incl. many fishing vessels and small merchant vessels) ships captured. In 2008 with the onset of CTF 151 and the US funded Puntland Intelligence Service (PIS) and the inception of the EU NAVFOR armada over 134 incidences (including attempted attacks, averted attacks and successful sea-jackings) had been recorded for Somalia with 49 fully documented, factual sea-jacking cases and the mistaken sinking of one captured illegal fishing vessel with the killing of her crew by the Indian naval force. For 2009 the account closed with 228 incidences (incl. averted or abandoned attacks) with 68 vessels seized for different reasons on the Somali/Yemeni captor side as well as at least TWELVE wrongful attacks (incl. one friendly fire incident) on the side of the naval forces, including the horrible murder of Yemeni and Somali fishermen in a mid-nightly raid on a natural harbour in Puntland committed by a Norwegian commando unit.For 2010 the recorded account around the Horn of Africa stood at 243 incidences with 202 direct attacks by Somali sea-shifta resulting in 74 sea-jackings on the one side and on the other the sinking of one merchant vessel (MV AL-ABI ) by machine-gun fire from the Seychelles's coastguard boat TOPAZ (11 Somalis now jailed for 10 years in the Seychelles) as well as the wrongful attack by the Indian navy on an innocent Yemeni fishing vessel and the sinking of FV SIRICHAI NAVA 11 with many injured sailors and at least five people from the vessel and 8 attackers dead. Sea-jacked MV AL-ASSA - without its original Yemeni crew - was used as pirate vessel and likewise sunk while the Somali captors allegedly were released on land. In addition four Somali fishermen were killed by naval helicopter, which the navies cowardly never identified, at Labad north of Hobyo and one fisherman has killed by AMISOM forces near Mogadishu harbour.For 2011 the recorded account stands at confirmed 161 incidences with 129 direct attacks and at least 36 ships sea-jacked.The naval alliances had since August 2008 and until May 2010 apprehended 1090 suspected pirates, detained and kept or transferred for prosecution 480, killed at least 64 and wounded over 24 Somalis. (Independent update on the killings of Somalis see: EXCLUSIV - whereby it must be stated that while trying to keep up with the killings and arrests, the deportations of Somalis or cases where they were set out again without supplies to face sure death on the ocean - like the Russians did in at least one case - it is due to the in-transparency of the navies extremely difficult and hard to keep track and the journalist who maintained these statistics gave up to count and started a new blog on the foreign military adventures of the EU). It must, be noted that most navies have become since the beginning of 2010 extremely secretive and do neither report properly to the Somali government, which is compulsory according to the UN security council resolutions nor to the UN itself or through their media outlets on the real number of casualties and injuries they inflict.ECOTERRA Intl. calls many of the death-cases which occur in the piracy- as well as in the anti-piracy-circus EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS - if not outright murder - and has requested already several times that thorough investigations have to follow each incident and the findings to be made public. The UN must be held fully accountable for upholding the believes in the navies that they would act legally and must account for each and every act committed under their banner. All acts committed by Somalis as well as all acts committed by the navies must be scrutinized with the same impartial zeal to let justice prevail. Without a declaration of war by any nation of the UN and or by any of the states sending those navies, who are hiding behind illegal UN resolution constructs, these nations are waging war against the majority of innocent Somali people and are committing murder with impunity, while neither the sates nor the UN or the Somali governance are following up. Only in rare cases the real culprits of piracy and crimes committed on the High Seas or in the territorial waters of Somalia are brought to to book. The UN and all the navies are betting on the fact that the Somalis - a majority being illiterate - do not have the knowledge and means to legally follow up on cases of outright murder and illegitimate warfare, and know that the present Somali governance is not in a position to defend the Somali people against any aggressor or injustices brought against them by foreign hands. The UN and the navies have lost their moral standing by not investigating these acts.
Reports of not well documented cases of absconded vessels are not listed in the sea-jack count until clarification. Several other vessels with unclear fate (although not in the actual count), who were reported missing over the last ten years in this area, are still kept on our watch-list, though in some cases it is presumed that they sunk due to bad weather or being unfit to sail or like the S/Y Serenity and MV Indian Ocean Explorer were sunk to cover their drug-smuggling activities. Present multi-factorial risk assessment code: RS: YELLOW / SRS: ORANGE / GoA: ORANGE / AS: ORANGE /NIO: YELLOW / SIO: BLUE (Red = Very much likely, high season; Orange = Reduced risk, but very likely, Yellow = significantly reduced risk, but still likely, Blue = risk low but still possible, Green = unlikely). Piracy incidents usually degrade during the monsoon season and rise gradually by the end of the monsoon. Starting from mid February until early April as well as around October every year an increase in piracy cases can be expected. With the onset of the monsoon winds and rough seas piracy cases decline. If you have any additional information concerning the cases, please send to office[at]ecoterra-international.org - if required we guarantee 100% confidentiality. For further details and regional information request the Somali Marine and Coastal Monitor (SMCM) and see the situation map of the PIRACY COASTS OF SOMALIA (2011). See the archive atwww.australia.to and news on www.international.to
EMERGENCY HELPLINES: sms or call: +254-719-603-176 / +254-714-747-090
- email: office[AT]ecoterra.net (First reponders: You will be requested to verify your mail)
East Africa ILLEGAL FISHING AND WASTE DUMPING HOTLINE: +254-714-747-090 (confidentiality guaranteed) - email: marine[AT]ecop.info
MEDIAL ASSISTANCE RADIO (MAR) network on 14,332.0 USB every day from 07h30 UTC to 08h00 UTC
ECOTERRA Intl. is an international nature protection and human rights organization, whose Africa offices in Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania also monitor the marine and maritime situation along the East African Indian Ocean coasts as well as the Gulf of Aden. ECOTERRA is working in Somalia since 1986 and does focus in its work against piracy mainly on coastal development, marine protection and pacification. ECOP-marine (www.ecop.info) is an ECOTERRA group committed to fight against all forms of crime on the waters. Both stand firm against illegal fishing as well as against marine overexploitation and pollution.
N.B.: This status report is mainly for the next of kin of seafarers held hostage, who often do not get any information from the ship-owners or their governments, and shall serve as well as clearing-house for the media. Unless otherwise stated it is for educational purposes only. Request for further details can be e-mailed to: somalia[at]ecoterra.net (you have to verify your mail). Our reporting without fear or favour is based on integrity and independence.
Witnesses and whistle-blowers with proper information concerning naval operations and atrocities, acts of piracy or other crimes on the seas around the Horn of Africa, hostage case backgrounds and especially concerning illegal fishing and toxic wast dumping or pollution by ships as well as any environmental information, can call our 24h numbers and e-mail confidentially or even anonymously or to office[AT]ecoterra-international.org and also can request a PGP-key for secure transmission.
KEEP US STRONG AND INDEPENDENT! Send your support-fund offers to ecotrust[AT]ecoterra[DOT]net. If it is your first contact please respond to the verification mail you will receive so that we get your mail and we'll send you then the details. Only with your help and the support of clean money from honest sponsors we can continue our independent research, unbiased information dissemination and awareness creation as well as to achieve the envisioned impact with hands-on projects directly up front and on the ground.
These e-mails are sent to our many thousand recipients with different priorities. If you need them closer to the publication time and earlier than you actually receive them, please request a higher priority on the list-serve, which like the unsubscription requests should be sent to mailhub[at]ecoterra.net (at first contact you have to verify your mail).
SUPPORT WANTED: With now still over 30 cases to monitor and to respond to calls of crews and familirs for help, our team has too much work. Volunteers from in- and outside Somalia are therefore welcome to support our efforts. Please send a mail to: office[AT]ecoterra-international.org IF YOU CAN AND WANT TO HELP.
© 2011, ECOTERRA SOMALIA, Mogadishu. This compilation or parts of it may be reprinted and republished as long as the content remains unaltered, and ECOTERRA Intl. is cited as source. 924 |
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