PIRACY, GROWING THREAT TO YEMEN, REGIONAL COUNTRIES

By: Abu Bakr Abdullah

Edited into English by: Mahmoud Assamiee

SANA'A, Feb. 07 (Saba)- Piracy has evolved again with pirates resume
carrying out attacks against a number of Yemeni and international
trades ships. This means that piracy is still posing a real threat
to international maritime despite all efforts for combating them.

The issue was a focus on the seminar entitled "Piracy off Somali
Coasts and its Aftermaths on Yemen's Security", which was organized
by Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Institute.

Attended by a number of specialists and interested people from the
government and academics, the seminar concluded that situations in
Somalia are still unstable and a direct reason behind piracy
continuation, which poses a real threat to international maritime.
This also affirms Yemen's need to improve its coast guards as
important factor in securing international maritime and limiting
effects of piracy on the country.

On specialists' viewpoints on the nature of piracy and suitable
mechanisms to face it, Saba reflected what these specialists, who
participated in the symposium, believe.

Roots of piracy

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Muthani Hasan believes that
piracy has been growing because of deteriorated situations in
Somalia which forced 700,000 of people seek refuge in Yemen.

He indicates that the piracy came into existence through incidents
of taking over boats and possessions of refugees fleeing the hell of
battles in Somalia, yet the continuous disorder in the country and
absence of state has encouraged pirates to expand their operations
to interrupting international trade ships.

As days pass, these pirates get assets helped them buying boats,
communication sets and weapons. This improvement has led to negative
results on neighboring countries and on the world as whole because
of the threat posed by international maritime lines, a matter
imposed on the great powers to send their navies to the area to
protect their maritime lines and ships passing through the Gulf of
Aden and the Arab Sea.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Arab, Asian and African
Affairs Ali al-Ayyashi says piracy has increased when pirates found
that they got great funds as ransom paid for releasing ships they
took over. This helped them to improve their capabilities and get
improved technical various arms.

Direct Reasons

Researcher Mazen Shuga'addin, the Member of Political and Media
Department in the cabinet indicates that the state failure in
Somalia was accompanied by international aspirations of giant
fishing ships which invaded Somali coasts earlier to loot its great
wealth. "Somali coast is considered the longest in Africa, estimated
at 3300 square kilometers and is a distinguished by plenty and
various sea wealth which includes seabirds, whales, sharks and many
kinds of turtles and dolphins. But it has become a hotbed to every
Tom, Dick and Harry under the absence of authority in Somalia.

Over pirates' aims, Shug'addin clarifies that, no single case has
been announced on political aims of pirates other than the ransom
they bargain for. If we look back to targeted ships recently,
political hidden aims of those who push them to carry these crimes
have been shown.

Security fears

Some agree that piracy was the main reason behind the influx of a
number of international warships to the area and this existence has
converted into concerns to most of countries overlooking the Red Sea.

They also believe that the continuation of piracy will be a pretext
to foreign military existence in the area, which will ultimately
lead to more pressures and interference on regional countries'
affairs. Whereas, the continuation of piracy will lead to
transforming the Red Sea into a focus of regional wars and
international and interferences besides attracting terrorism and
drugs mafias.

Internationalizing the Red Sea, however, will make the overlooking
countries lose their sovereignty on it and may lose utilizing its
wealth.

National security's officials believe that turning of attacks from
looting equipments into hijacking all ships and demanding great
ransoms will encourage some terrorist organizations to attract
pirates to carry out terrorist attacks in the region. Al-Qaeda, for
example, could find a suitable environment in Somalia to practice
its terrorist activities, given that the network has already argued
its elements to head towards the sea for controlling marine outlets
and carrying the battle onto the sea.

On the other hand, specialists think that the continuation of piracy
in the southern outlet of the Red Sea will lead to transporting
navigation via the Cape Good Hope, which will affect the
international trade activity and transportation and hindering
activities of Arab ports, particularly in countries overlooking the
Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This may reduce income of these
countries and hamper their ability in realizing economic and
political security, as a result it will be easy to terrorist
elements to carry out revenge terrorist attacks, particularly
against western interests.

Furthermore, Piracy is hindering arrival of international aid to
affected Somalis which means continuous influx of refugees to Yemen
to add additional economic, social and political burden.

Dr. Abdullah al-Faqih, Member of Political and Media Department at
the Cabinet, says piracy nowadays has become a real threat on
Yemen's security and stability in particular and on the region in
general and poses great concern to countries overlooking the Red Sea.

He reveals that there is an agenda stood behind existence of piracy
in 2008 as a justification to foreign military existence in the Red
Sea under the pretext of using force against pirates via
international powers according to the UN Security Council's
resolution.

He suggests that the danger coming from these forces existing in the
Red Sea lies in changing their duties from guardians into
intervention of internal affairs of these countries.

Negative effects

Negative effects on Yemen because of piracy are varied on economic
and security domains. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali
al-Ayyahsi says the increasing piracy attacks have affected
navigation activities in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait in
addition to losses caused by piracy on national economy because of
reduction numbers of ships using Yemeni ports for fueling and
services.

He further said the phenomenon has left negative effects as it gave
legacy to great powers to send their warships to the area and
interfere in their in their internal affairs under the pretext of
chasing pirates and protecting ships against attacks. It also led to
internationalizing the Red Sea and its outlets, a matter poses
direct threat to Yemen and countries overlooking the sea.

Shug'auddin reveals Israeli aspirations saying:" Israel is the
hidden present player and the main beneficiary from piracy in the
Red Sea and its boundaries. It has always accustomed us when there
are dangers against Arab interests, Israel is there."

The main Israeli aims from piracy is playing basic and central role
in the framework of the New Middle East System, through which it
seeks to internationalize the Red Sea and its outlets to get great
influence, let alone its tries to cripple navigation via supporting
pirates.

Lieutenant colonel Shuga'a Mahdi, the Operations Director at the
Coast Guard Authority, says challenges and security threats facing
Yemen today are piracy, attacking ships and smuggling in its all
forms, weapons, goods, drugs and medicines.


Future hopes

Researcher Shuga'uddin believes that the vacuum left by the state
collapse in Somalia has encouraged great powers to influx into the
region to exploit this vacuum to control the Red Sea. This imposes
on all world countries to solve the Somali problem as a main step to
face piracy.

He affirms that the crises surrounding the Arab World need unified
move not to put the burden on foreign powers, given that what is
happening in Somalia is Arab concern in the first place, let alone
the country is a member in the Arab League.

He indicates significance that regional countries have to centralize
the idea that the security of this passage is the right of countries
overlooking the Red Sea and to affirm to Arab to respect Somalia's
sovereignty and its unity and safety.

On his talks about Yemen's efforts exerted on helping Somalia,
Deputy Foreign Minster Ali Hassan says Yemen has given special
concern to Somalia since the deterioration of conditions in the
country to reach settlement and creating an agreement between
warring factors so that the government would be able to restore the
order.

Adbdul-Qawi al-Iryani, the Dean of Diplomatic Institute, agrees
affirms what Hassan said and adds that due to negligence of world
countries of Somali issue, its problems have complicated and then
piracy has become one result of the crisis in the country.

He argues that while Yemen has been calling the world to work on
solving the Somalis issue, great powers have brought their marine
vessels to position in the area to face piracy without achieving any
fruitful results because they have not contribute in solving the
phenomenon.

"If calls for curing the problem's roots in Somalia, conditions will
go be worse and will lead to greater aftermaths during the near
future," he warns.

Facts

- Piracy is carried out by elements called "Taroud, Al-Hawiah,
Ishaq" and others who have worked previously in Somali marine
forces. There are also individuals called "Support Elements" who
have enough knowledge to use navigation means and
communications.
- Pirates mostly use ships of middle sizes called
"Al-Um" or the Mother and other small and fast ships and boats.
- RPG and other rockets, machine guns and Kalashnikovs are the weapons
used by pirates to carry their attacks.
- The year 2009 has witnessed
increasing number of attacks, 45 attacks have been reported.- 209
tries of piracy have been occurred during 2009.- 894 cases of
kidnapping sailors in the same period.
- 42 kidnapping cases
in2008- 69 piracies try in the same period.
- 815 sailors have been
kidnapped in 2009.