Political Rifts Deepening in Somalia

On Tuesday, Somali president Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed appointed a new prime minister, but the previous prime minister is refusing to accept his dismissal and is backed by the country's Parliament.

On Monday the Parliament backed Nur Hassan Hussein, who has been prime minister for about 13 months. But the president named Mohamed Mohamud Guled as the new prime minister because he's a close ally of the transitional federal government, the new Somali premier. It is a move "certain to deepen the political impasse in a country already struggling with an Islamist revolt, a refugee crisis and rampant lawlessness that has fueled awave of piracy off the Horn of Africa."

Heightening Tension

The move by Ahmed also has caused concerns from neighboring Ethiopia, which which has been protecting the Somali government with troops. Ethiopia recently announced it would withdraw its troops by the end of this month, which will leave the government vulnerable to Islamic insurgents, who began a brutal insurgency in 2007.

United Nations officials are now in crisis mode, calling high-level meetings in East Africa and New York to address piracy and the greater Somali problems. Some U.N. officials are pushing to send in peacekeepers, but no countries are rushing to offer troops.

Pirate Hunting

A number of international warships equipped with high-tech tools like radar and long-range cannons are now patrolling the Gulf of Aden.

An Italian officer said that going after them in a 485-foot-long destroyer, bristling with surface-to-air missiles and torpedoes, was like “going after someone on a bicycle with a truck.”

But international law in the seas is restricting some countries in their hunts for the pirates. Several times this year, the Danish Navy captured men they suspected to be pirates, but they had to drop them on shore because their government decided it did not have jurisdiction.

Vice-Admiral Gerard Valin, the commander of the French naval operation in the Indian Ocean, said the piracy will only be defeated by a strong government in Somalia.

Blocking the Pirates in?

The International Association of Independent Tanker Owners, whose members own 2,900 tankers or 75% of the world's fleet, called for a military blockade of ships to keep the pirates from moving off their coastline.

But how easily would a blockade be constructed along the 2,400 miles of Somali coastline?

And why haven't the 14 military ships from Denmark, France, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Russia, the U.S. and NATO, been more successful in blocking these renegade Somali speed boats?

Reduced Ransom

The pirates also seem to be learning about the woes of the world economy and are adjusting their ransom prices accordingly.

Andrew Mwangura, the coordinator of the East Africa Seafarers Programme based in Mombasa — said that his sources confirmed that the pirates would now settle for $15 million for the ship, which is $10 million less than their initial price for the Arabian Sirius Star.

Another hijacking

On Monday, Yemen's Interior Ministry said Somali pirates have hijacked a Yemeni cargo ship in the Arabian Sea. The hijacking brings the year's total to more than 40.

Saudi Tanker Moves

The Islamic Courts Union warned the pirates to leave Harardhere, a Somalian port town, after threatening to attack.

The ICU issued the warning because the ship is considered Muslim property.

The piracy also has apparently angered the Shehab, a militant Islamic group controlling much of southern and central Somalia.

Pirates have since anchored the ship off their base in Harardhere, north of Mogadishu, and demanded the ransom be paid by November 30.

They currently hold at least 17 ships, including a Ukrainian cargo carrying 33 combat tanks, which was on its way to Sudan.

Pirate facts and quotes

$2 million: average ransom obtained by the Somali pirates per ship.

1,080 feet: the length of the Saudi MV Sirius Star supertanker hijacked Nov. 15, 450 nautical miles from the coast of Somalia, and loaded with 2 million barrels of crude oil.

$25 million: the ransom that the pirates are demanding for the supertanker.

3: number of ships taken ransom since the supertanker was hijacked.

39: the number of successful hijackings out of 92 pirate attacks in Somalia this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

220: the number of hostages being held in Eyl.

250%: the increase in the cost of staple foods over the last 12 months in Somalia because of inflation.

77%: the increase in the number of Somalis in need of humanitarian aid since January, according to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

8: number of Somali pirates charged in a Kenyan court yesterday.

5: the age at which 25% of the country's children die.

quotes:

Sugule Ali, the pirates' spokesperson, said, “Killing is not in our plans,” he said. “We only want money so we can protect ourselves from hunger.” When asked why the pirates needed $20 million to protect themselves from hunger, Mr. Sugule laughed and said, “Because we have a lot of men.”

Fatuma Abdul Kadir said she went to a pirate wedding in July that lasted two days, with non-stop dancing and goat meat. "It was wonderful," said Fatuma, 21. "I'm now dating a pirate."

Roger Middleton, an African analyst at Chatham House in London, said, "The average income in Somalia is around $650 a year, but a low level pirate can earn up to $10,000 per raid."

Mohammed Abdel Salam, a national security expert with Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said, "We are not talking here about conventional pirates but about organized gangs who have a lot of money, weapons and demonstrate organizational abilities and good knowledge of ship technology that allow them to catch ships quickly."