Abshir Boyah

Last updated

Abshir Abdillahi, known as "Boyah" is a Somali pirate.

History

He is a resident of Garowe Puntland and was originally an artisanal lobster diver in Eyl until 1994. [1] However, from 1991 when the Somali Democratic Republic under Mohamed Siad Barre collapsed, civil war broke out, and the already weak Somali coastguard was disbanded, foreign fleets, mostly Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean ships [2] increasingly moved into the longest coastline in continental Africa, at 3,333 kilometres [3] and now suddenly unprotected. These large fleets drag fished and exhausted the lobster population, as well as depleting other fish species, depriving locals of their livelihoods, including Boyah. As a result, they grouped together to retaliate.

Between 1995 and 1997, Boyah and other pirates captured three foreign fishing vessels, keeping the catch and ransoming the crew. [4] The foreign fishermen consequently took protective measures, whereupon Boyah and his men began to target more vulnerable and slow- moving commercial shipping vessels. His example attracted others to become pirates: [5] local journalists, sometimes with pride, described Boyah as “a pioneer, showing the real potential of piracy." Boyah became perhaps the best-known pirate operating off Somalia, [6] though he and his men dislike the term ‘pirate’, preferring to refer to themselves as badaadinta badah, "saviours of the sea", a term that is most often translated in the English-speaking media as "coastguard’, based on their sense of grievance towards foreign fleets. [7]

Boyah and his militia captured at least 30 ships in 10 years, including the Japanese chemical tanker Golden Nori and the French luxury yacht Le Ponant for which Boyah received US$1.5 million and US$2 million respectively in ransom payments in 2008.

During this time, Puntland, a semi-independent territory in Somalia, only exercised limited authority, whereas the money introduced and distributed to the community by the pirates created some local support, even though conservative elders condemned these crimes and the perceived ensuing vices of alcohol and women. [8]

According to Reuters in July 2009, the UN Monitoring Group on Somalia had confidentially reported to the Security Council in April that other leading pirates, the most notorious being, Mohamed Abide Hassan, known as "Afweyne" [Big Mouth] had actually been travelling the world on a Somali diplomatic passport, showing the collusion within Somali politics, though local politicians denied this, claiming it was a ‘smear’. [9] [10]

Finally, in May 2010 Boyah was jailed for 5 years after being arrested in Puntland in with US$29 million and two pistols in his car. In an interview with the US senator Mark Kirk [Republican, Illinois] in the UN-built prison at Bosaso on the Gulf of Aden, Boyah said he had been arrested because “I took one ship too many.” Boyah’s current whereabouts after release from prison are unclear. Following Boyah’s imprisonment and that of other Somali pirates, by 2012 improved practices in the shipping industry, more effective international counter-piracy naval operations, and the increasing use of private maritime security companies together all substantially lowered the number of vessels successfully hijacked. As a result, pirates were forced to diversify, engaging in kidnap for ransom on land, and marketing their services as ‘counter piracy’ experts and ‘consultants’ in ransom negotiations. This evolution of the piracy business model was driven largely by members of the Somali diaspora, whose foreign language skills, passports and bank accounts were all valuable assets. The United Nations Monitoring Group also confirmed the collusion of senior Transitional Federal Government officials in shielding a notorious pirate kingpin "Afweyne" [Big Mouth] from prosecution, providing him with a diplomatic passport and describing him as a “counter-piracy” envoy. [10] Between 2014 to 2015, incidences of piracy diminished, and the foreign fleets returned, stoking a new set of tensions as they continued to encroach on the coast to fish. Some of these fished without holding any fishing licenses, while others have managed to get licenses issued illegally by corrupt officials, mostly in the ministry of fisheries both at the state and federal levels, illustrating the tenuous hold of government throughout all jurisdictions of Somalia. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eyl</span> Town in Puntland, Somalia

Eyl is an ancient port town in the northeastern Nugal region of Somalia in the autonomous Puntland region, also serving as the capital of the Eyl District. Eyl, also called Illig, was the capital of the Dervishes from 1905 onwards, until superseded by Taleh, which became Dervish capital in 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa</span> Military operation

Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA) is a component of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). The Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) is the primary military component assigned to accomplish the objectives of the mission. The naval components are the multinational Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) and Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) which operates under the direction of the United States Fifth Fleet. Both of these organizations have been historically part of United States Central Command. In February 2007, United States President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the United States Africa Command which took over all of the area of operations of CJTF-HOA in October 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action of 28 October 2007</span> US military confrontation with Somali pirates

The action of 28 October 2007 was part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa, the military operation defined by the United States for combating terrorism in the Horn of Africa. The incident occurred when United States Navy units acted to interdict piracy in the region.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia occurs in the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and Somali Sea, in Somali territorial waters and other surrounding areas and has a long and troubled history with different perspectives from different communities. It was initially a threat to international fishing vessels, expanding to international shipping since the consolidation of states phase of the Somali Civil War around 2000.

On September 2, 2008, the French yacht Carré d'As IV and its two crew were captured in the Gulf of Aden by seven armed Somali pirates, who demanded the release of six pirates captured in the April MY Le Ponant raid and over one million dollars in ransom. On September 16, 2008, on the orders of President Nicolas Sarkozy, French special forces raided and recovered the yacht, rescued the two hostages, killed one pirate, and captured the other six. The pirates were flown to France to stand trial for piracy and related offenses; ultimately, five of them were convicted and sentenced to four to eight years in prison, while a sixth was acquitted. The incident marked the second French counter-piracy commando operation of 2008, as well as the first French trial of Somali pirates.

MV <i>Faina</i> Hijacked container ship

MV Faina was a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship operated by a Ukrainian company that sailed under a Belize flag of convenience, owned by Panama City-based Waterlux AG, and managed by Tomex Team of Odessa, Ukraine.

MV <i>Sirius Star</i> Saudi oil tanker

MV Manifa is an oil tanker formally owned and operated by Vela International Marine. With a length overall of 330 m (1,080 ft) and a capacity of 2.2 million barrels (350,000 m3) of crude oil, she is classified as a very large crude carrier or VLCC. Vela is based in the United Arab Emirates and is a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian state oil company Saudi Aramco. Sirius Star is one of Vela's 24 tankers, of which 19 are VLCCs. Since her launch, the ship has been registered in Monrovia under the Liberian flag of convenience.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Atalanta</span> European anti-pirate military operation

Operation Atalanta, formally European Union Naval ForceSomalia, is a current counter-piracy military operation at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean, that is the first naval operation conducted by the European Union (EU). The operational headquarters is currently located at the Spanish Operation Headquarters (ESOHQ) at Naval Station Rota in Spain, having moved from London as a result of the British withdrawal from the EU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Security Council Resolution 1950</span> United Nations resolution adopted in 2010

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1950, adopted unanimously on November 23, 2010, after recalling previous resolutions on the situation in Somalia, including resolutions 1814 (2008), 1816 (2008), 1838 (2008), 1844 (2008), 1846 (2008), 1851 (2008), 1897 (2009) and 1918 (2010); the Council re-authorised states to intervene in acts of piracy by Somali pirates at sea for a further period of twelve months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piracy in the 21st century</span> Piracy by period

Piracy in the 21st century has taken place in a number of waters around the world, including the Gulf of Guinea, Strait of Malacca, Sulu and Celebes Seas, Indian Ocean, and Falcon Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Ocean Shield</span> NATO operation in the Horn of Africa

Operation Ocean Shield was NATO's contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA), an anti-piracy initiative in the Indian Ocean, Guardafui Channel, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. It follows the earlier Operation Allied Protector. Naval operations began on 17 August 2009 after being approved by the North Atlantic Council, the program was terminated on 15 December 2016 by NATO. Operation Ocean Shield focused on protecting the ships of Operation Allied Provider, which transported relief supplies as part of the World Food Programme's mission in the region. The initiative also helped strengthen the navies and coast guards of regional states to assist in countering pirate attacks. Additionally, China, Japan and South Korea sent warships to participate in these activities.

The Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) is a security force based in Puntland, an autonomous region in northeastern Somalia. As of March 2012, the PMPF had around 500 personnel. The force is eventually expected to comprise 10,000 personnel.

In keeping with the Paris Principles definition of a child soldier, the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative defines a child pirate' as any person below 18 years of age who is or who has been recruited or used by a pirate gang in any capacity, including children - boys and/or girls - used as gunmen in boarding parties, hostage guards, negotiators, ship captains, messengers, spies or for sexual purposes, whether at sea or on land. It does not only refer to a child who is taking or has taken a direct part in kinetic criminal operations.

Mohamed Abdi Hassan, commonly known as Afweyne, is a Somali entrepreneur, diplomat and pirate leader. He founded the Hobyo-Harardhere Piracy Network in 2005 and rapidly grew to become one of Somalia's preeminent pirates. In 2012 he began to leave the piracy "industry" and diversified his holdings into a multinational business empire. Hassan was arrested that year in Malaysia but was released as he had managed to obtain diplomatic immunity from Mogadishu. Finally, in 2013 Hassan was lured to Belgium and sentenced in 2016 to twenty years' imprisonment for his many crimes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-piracy measures in Somalia</span> Anti-piracy in international waters

Piracy in Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the beginning of the country's civil war in the early 1990s. Since 2005, many international organizations have expressed concern over the rise in acts of piracy. Piracy impeded the delivery of shipments and increased shipping expenses, costing an estimated $6.6 to $6.9 billion a year in global trade in 2011 according to Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP).

Somalia continues to suffer from many environmental issues like land degradation and overfishing. Land degradation caused by overgrazing, soil erosion, loss of topsoil, and loss of vegetation due to the cutting of trees continues to effect Somalia's socio-political climate. Additionally, overfishing caused by a lack of government surveillance and foreign exploitation of Somali waters encourages piracy and terrorist activities along with exacerbating natural habitat destruction and climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India–Somalia relations</span> Bilateral relations

India–Somalia relations refers to the international relations that exist between India and Somalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somalia–Spain relations</span> Bilateral relations

Somalia–Spain relations are the bilateral and diplomatic relations between these two countries. Somalia has no embassy in Spain, nor Spain in Somalia, but the Spanish embassy in Nairobi is accredited to Somalia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohamed Aden Tiiceey</span>

Mohamed Abdullahi Moalim Aden, commonly known as Mohamed AdenTiiceey, is a Somali politician, founder and former president of the unrecognized autonomous state, Himan and Heeb.

Piracy kidnappings occur during piracy, when people are kidnapped by pirates or taken hostage. Article 1 of the United Nations International Convention against the Taking of Hostages defines a hostage-taker as "any person who seizes or detains and threatens to kill, to injure, or to continue to detain another person in order to compel a third party namely, a State, an international intergovernmental organization, a natural or Juridical person, or a group of people, to do or abstain from doing any act as an explicit or implicit condition tor the release of the hostage commits the offense of taking of hostages ("hostage-taking") within the meaning of this Convention." Kidnappers often try to obtain the largest financial reward possible in exchange for hostages, but piracy kidnappings can also be politically motivated.

References

  1. ↑ "UN Fury as the Big Mouth Pirate Talks Peace".
  2. ↑ "Why pirates attack: Geospatial evidence". 15 March 2021.
  3. ↑ "Countries in Africa with the Longest Coastlines". 7 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Gettleman, Jeffrey. "The Pirates Are Winning! | Jeffrey Gettleman".{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  5. ↑ "Somali pirate: 'We're not murderers... We just attack ships'". TheGuardian.com . 24 May 2011.
  6. ↑ Gettleman, Jeffrey (8 May 2009). "For Somali Pirates, Worst Enemy May be on Shore". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ "Somali pirate: 'We're not murderers... We just attack ships'". TheGuardian.com . 24 May 2011.
  8. ↑ "World: Somalia's Pirates Face Growing Backlash | the New York Times". YouTube .
  9. ↑ "UN Fury as the Big Mouth Pirate Talks Peace". newsecuritylearning.com. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  10. 1 2 "Letter dated 27 June 2012 from the members of the Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea addressed to the Chairman of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 751 (1992) and 1907 (2009) concerning Somalia and Eritrea" (PDF). man.fas.org. 2012-06-27.
  11. ↑ "Rough Seas: The Causes and Consequences of Fisheries Conflict in Somali Waters | Secure Fisheries". securefisheries.org. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.