Socialist Worker 2129, 29 November 2008
www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=16517
Toxic scandal in Somalia gave birth to new piracy
The escapades of Somali pirates made headlines last week. But the
media has ignored the injustice behind the phenomenon, writes Simon
Assaf
When the Asian tsunami of Christmas 2005 washed ashore on the east
coast of Africa, it uncovered a great scandal.
Tonnes of radioactive waste and toxic chemicals drifted onto the
beaches after the giant wave dislodged them from the sea bed off
Somalia.
Tens of thousands of Somalis fell ill after coming into contact with
this cocktail. They complained to the United Nations (UN), which began
an investigation.
"There are reports from villagers of a wide range of medical problems
such as mouth bleeds, abdominal haemorrhages, unusual skin disorders
and breathing difficulties," the UN noted.
Some 300 people are believed to have died from the poisonous chemicals.
Many European, US and Asian shipping firms – notably Switzerland's
Achair Partners and Italy's Progresso – signed dumping deals in the
early 1990s with Somalia's politicians and militia leaders.
This meant they could use the coast as a toxic dumping ground. This
practice became widespread as the country descended into civil war.
Nick Nuttall of the UN Environment Programme said, "European companies
found it was very cheap to get rid of the waste.
"It cost as little as £1.70 a tonne, whereas waste disposal costs in
Europe was something like £670 a tonne.
"And the waste is of many different kinds. There is uranium
radioactive waste. There is lead, and heavy metals such as cadmium and
mercury. There is also industrial waste, hospital wastes, chemical
wastes – you name it."
But despite the evidence uncovered by the tsunami, an investigation
into the practice of toxic dumping was dropped. There was no
compensation and no clean up.
In 2006 Somali fishermen complained to the UN that foreign fishing
fleets were using the breakdown of the state to plunder their fish
stocks. These foreign fleets often recruited Somali militias to
intimidate local fishermen.
Despite repeated requests, the UN refused to act. Meanwhile the
warships of global powers that patrol the strategically important Gulf
of Aden did not sink or seize any vessels dumping toxic chemicals off
the coast.
So angry Somalis, whose waters were being poisoned and whose
livelihoods were threatened, took matters into their own hands.
Fishermen began to arm themselves and attempted to act as unofficial
coastguards.
They began to seize ships in late 2005. These were released after a
ransom was paid. Among them were cargo vessels, luxury cruise liners
and tuna fishing boats.
Januna Ali Jama, a Somali pirate leader, explained that their actions
were motivated by attempts to stop the toxic dumping.
He said that the £5.4 million ransom they demanded for the return of a
Ukrainian ship would go towards cleaning up the mess.
Ali Jama said the pirates were "reacting to the toxic waste that has
been continually dumped on the shores of our country for nearly 20
years.
"The Somali coastline has been destroyed. We believe this money is
nothing compared to the devastation that we have seen on the seas."
But the nature of this piracy soon began to change. Members of the
Somali government, who were part of the then Western-backed
Transitional Federal Government (TFG), started to get involved.
They transformed the piracy operation into a multi-million dollar
industry that funded their lavish lifestyles.
The TFG was ousted during a popular rebellion in July 2006 led by the
Union of Islamic Courts. Later that year the US backed Ethiopia's
invasion of Somalia to drive the Islamic Courts out.
This provoked an insurgency labelled by some as the "third front" of
the "war on terror".
The US became embarrassed when it emerged that its allies in the TFG
were deeply involved in piracy. As concerns grew for the safety of
ships heading towards the Suez Canal, global powers began to take
notice.
Indian and US warships began to sink Somali fishing boats if they
sailed too close to cargo vessels or trawlers. These warships
transformed Somalia's coastal waters into a "free fire zone". When a
giant Saudi oil tanker was seized, these powers declared all-out war
on the pirates.
British foreign minister David Miliband recently boasted that Britain
would be taking the lead in cracking down on the pirates.
The Royal Navy will take command of a European fleet of warships as
part of "Operation Atalanta", he said.
The target will be the Somalis – not the vessels dumping waste or the
illegal foreign fishing fleets.
As global powers dispatch their warships to the Somali coast, the
problems that caused this outbreak of piracy remain unresolved.
European, US and Asian ships will continue to dump hazardous waste and
plunder coastal fishing stocks – leading to continuing misery for
Somalis.
www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=16517
Toxic scandal in Somalia gave birth to new piracy
The escapades of Somali pirates made headlines last week. But the
media has ignored the injustice behind the phenomenon, writes Simon
Assaf
When the Asian tsunami of Christmas 2005 washed ashore on the east
coast of Africa, it uncovered a great scandal.
Tonnes of radioactive waste and toxic chemicals drifted onto the
beaches after the giant wave dislodged them from the sea bed off
Somalia.
Tens of thousands of Somalis fell ill after coming into contact with
this cocktail. They complained to the United Nations (UN), which began
an investigation.
"There are reports from villagers of a wide range of medical problems
such as mouth bleeds, abdominal haemorrhages, unusual skin disorders
and breathing difficulties," the UN noted.
Some 300 people are believed to have died from the poisonous chemicals.
Many European, US and Asian shipping firms – notably Switzerland's
Achair Partners and Italy's Progresso – signed dumping deals in the
early 1990s with Somalia's politicians and militia leaders.
This meant they could use the coast as a toxic dumping ground. This
practice became widespread as the country descended into civil war.
Nick Nuttall of the UN Environment Programme said, "European companies
found it was very cheap to get rid of the waste.
"It cost as little as £1.70 a tonne, whereas waste disposal costs in
Europe was something like £670 a tonne.
"And the waste is of many different kinds. There is uranium
radioactive waste. There is lead, and heavy metals such as cadmium and
mercury. There is also industrial waste, hospital wastes, chemical
wastes – you name it."
But despite the evidence uncovered by the tsunami, an investigation
into the practice of toxic dumping was dropped. There was no
compensation and no clean up.
In 2006 Somali fishermen complained to the UN that foreign fishing
fleets were using the breakdown of the state to plunder their fish
stocks. These foreign fleets often recruited Somali militias to
intimidate local fishermen.
Despite repeated requests, the UN refused to act. Meanwhile the
warships of global powers that patrol the strategically important Gulf
of Aden did not sink or seize any vessels dumping toxic chemicals off
the coast.
So angry Somalis, whose waters were being poisoned and whose
livelihoods were threatened, took matters into their own hands.
Fishermen began to arm themselves and attempted to act as unofficial
coastguards.
They began to seize ships in late 2005. These were released after a
ransom was paid. Among them were cargo vessels, luxury cruise liners
and tuna fishing boats.
Januna Ali Jama, a Somali pirate leader, explained that their actions
were motivated by attempts to stop the toxic dumping.
He said that the £5.4 million ransom they demanded for the return of a
Ukrainian ship would go towards cleaning up the mess.
Ali Jama said the pirates were "reacting to the toxic waste that has
been continually dumped on the shores of our country for nearly 20
years.
"The Somali coastline has been destroyed. We believe this money is
nothing compared to the devastation that we have seen on the seas."
But the nature of this piracy soon began to change. Members of the
Somali government, who were part of the then Western-backed
Transitional Federal Government (TFG), started to get involved.
They transformed the piracy operation into a multi-million dollar
industry that funded their lavish lifestyles.
The TFG was ousted during a popular rebellion in July 2006 led by the
Union of Islamic Courts. Later that year the US backed Ethiopia's
invasion of Somalia to drive the Islamic Courts out.
This provoked an insurgency labelled by some as the "third front" of
the "war on terror".
The US became embarrassed when it emerged that its allies in the TFG
were deeply involved in piracy. As concerns grew for the safety of
ships heading towards the Suez Canal, global powers began to take
notice.
Indian and US warships began to sink Somali fishing boats if they
sailed too close to cargo vessels or trawlers. These warships
transformed Somalia's coastal waters into a "free fire zone". When a
giant Saudi oil tanker was seized, these powers declared all-out war
on the pirates.
British foreign minister David Miliband recently boasted that Britain
would be taking the lead in cracking down on the pirates.
The Royal Navy will take command of a European fleet of warships as
part of "Operation Atalanta", he said.
The target will be the Somalis – not the vessels dumping waste or the
illegal foreign fishing fleets.
As global powers dispatch their warships to the Somali coast, the
problems that caused this outbreak of piracy remain unresolved.
European, US and Asian ships will continue to dump hazardous waste and
plunder coastal fishing stocks – leading to continuing misery for
