Piracy: growing threat to Yemen, regional countries
| | 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.
Source: Saba |
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