Somalia Piracy: It's the Pollution Not the Money

Ex-Somali Army Colonel Mohamed Nureh Abdulle lives in Harardhere - the town closest to where the hijacked Saudi oil tanker, Sirius Star was moored and is noted for it's intense level of piracy.

He told the BBC, via phone from his home, that the town's residents are more concerned about the apparent dumping of toxic waste than piracy. And this dumping has been going on for a very long time. In 1991 the goverment collasped in this Africian Nation and certain large corporation's took advantage of this. European ships started appearing off the coast of Somalia, dumping thousands of barrels of toxic waste into the ocean. The coastal population began to get sick. At first they suffered strange rashes, nausea and malformed babies and many other symptoms but lacking proper medical attention much was overlooked. Then, after the 2005 tsunami, hundreds of the dumped and leaking barrels washed up on shore. People began to suffer from radiation sickness (yes radiation sickness), and more than 300 died.

The alleged perpetrators were Italian and Swiss firms who supposedly entered into a contract with the Somali government or a least they claimed to be the goverment, Achair Partners, and an Italian firm, Progresso, with Nur Elmy Osmano, he claimed he was a Minister of Health at the time, to dump waste in the war ravaged African nation. Now the impact of these pollutants reaches far beyond Somalia and its coastline. The thousands of tons of radioactive and industrial waste is now spreading into the Indian Ocean where it will cause untold damage on its eco system and the human toll has yet to be fully measured.

So what does this have to do with piracy? EVERYTHING.

In order to garner attention to their country the Somalians have turned to piracy, every time they capture a large tanker or container ship it makes news, and the more news it makes the more press they are able to get to bring attention to the problem. Now not every act of piracy is just about dumping waste in their country which is killing them, but a large portion of these acts are related directly to this issue.

Now the U.S Goverment knows this problem exists along with every other industrialized nation, and it receives no press of any kind. WHY NOT?

If a U.S. company started dumping radioactive waste outside of Miami would it be reasonable to assume that its citizens might take action? Maybe even drastic action.

Not only is what the these companies are doing is illegal its also immoral and should be stopped. And the people who ultimately pay the price are people who have no voice and no one to provide them the same justice that you, I and every walking human on this planet deserve.

And why is it happening? Because it cheaper to kill the people in this African nation with their industrial waste than it is to dispose of it properly.

Isnt that special.