Somali Pirates Attack out of Economic Desperation

Pirates have long been romanticized by movies and television, but off the coast of Somalia, pirates are becoming a real problem. Just recently Somali pirates attempted to overtake a French flagship mistaking it for a cargo vessel. The pirates were surprised to find no booty aboard the 18,000 ton ship and several of them were quickly apprehended.

Pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia have been going on for over a decade now. Many ships follow a trade route that goes right by the country where pirates will often wait hundreds of miles off shore for a chance to hijack unprepared cargo ships. Since the 1990's pirates have grown considerably in Somalia. Ecoterra International, an organization that deals with humanitarian and human rights issues, estimated that Somali pirates have been responsible for over 163 attacks this year alone-47 of which were successful. What is most disconcerting about these attacks is that many of the cargo ships the pirates hijack are shipments of aid to African nations in need.

Somalia erupted in a civil war in the early 1990s, which put the country in a worse-than-usual economic quandary, which has led many to acts of desperation such as piracy. According the Department for International Development an estimated 4 percent of Somalia's population lives on less than $1 a day. Not only is food hard to find, but around 30 percent of Somalis do not have access to clean water.

Many nations have agreed that the piracy problem needs to be reconciled. Naval patrols in and around the Gulf of Aden have helped curb some of the attacks, but not all. Somali pirates have become more sophisticated in their tactics, and are willing to look for ships to commandeer hundreds of miles away from their usual spots. Because of this, cargo ships bringing aid to Africa typically require military escort now which has only added to the already expensive cost of shipping aid to the continent.

The most recent, reckless attack on a French flagship shows just how dire the situation has become. Somali pirates may portray themselves as modern day Robin Hoods, but the truth is the wealth acquired from their raids is food and water families in Africa desperately need. It's hard to say how much longer these attacks will be tolerated but as more international pressure is exerted on the region, many hope these attacks can be stopped, and that the aid being shipped to Africa can get to those who really need it.