NAMUNC VI

UN General Assembly  (SPECPOL)
Somali Pirates

When we think of pirates, Johnny Depp and the skull-and-crossbones come to mind, but modern day piracy is a huge problem impeding trade and threatening the lives of crews.  The worst pirate problem in the world is off the coast of Somalia where ships now must have a military escort to pass through the Gulf of Aden.  Pirates have also been striking far into the Indian Ocean.  Somalia not only is home to the worst piracy problem on the globe but was also named the worst humanitarian crisis in Africa by the UN in 2007.  According to the World Food Program, “More than 2 million Somalis could go hungry,” in the war-ravaged nation without international aid.  Now Netherlands and NATO military escorts must protect even the aid ships coming in to help these same people that threaten trade and have made the waters unsafe.  The UN has recently resorted to sending in food aid by trucks, but the rainy season’s impassable roads and the higher cost of sending goods by land as compared to sea make this just a temporary fix.  With such increased transport costs, the UN has about 25% less to spend on the actual food. 

The pirates have only gotten bolder.  In early November, pirates took control of the Saudi supertanker the Sirius Star and its cargo of oil reported worth around $100 million.  On September 25, the Ukrainian ship MV Faina, carrying heavy weapons and 33 tanks, was taken captive and one crew member died of illness before the ransom could be paid.  Most crews are now armed and trained to deter pirates, but only with heavy military escort are any ships safe in the region.  Some Somalis actually see the pirates as heroes, fighting back against Western interests that have invaded their space and bullied little local fishers.  The issue of Somali priacy requires both short and long term solutions.  Humanitarian aid must be continued, and security must be organized for all shipping interests in the area.  Then in the long term, stabilizing the country will give men other options for make a living other than piracy.  Somalia does not have a solid government, so the UN must work carefully to coordinate foreign nations in assisting Somalia without further destabilizing the country.

Some Useful Sources to Begin Your Research:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=28896&Cr=somalia&Cr1=pirates

http://www.afrol.com/articles/17547

http://www.worldhistory.abc-clio.com/Home/FeatureStory.aspx?categoryid=1&entryid=1299915&searchtext=
somalia+pirates&type=simple&option=all&fromsearch=true&filterid=&featurestoryid=1299915

http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9108375

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98584973

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2008/2008-11-19-02.asp

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/ov/archive/2008/11/26/how-not-to-deal-with-the-pirates.aspx

http://www.newsweek.com/id/169886

http://www.newsweek.com/id/154930

http://www.newsweek.com/id/120119