Using Force on Land to Suppress Piracy at Sea: The Legal Landscape of a Largely Untapped Strategy

On May 14, 2012, a combat helicopter operated by European Union Naval Forces (EUNAVFOR) struck a pirate base ashore in Somalia. The raid destroyed several fiberglass skiffs on the beach in Haradheere, a town on the coast of central Somalia. The attack represented a new tactic used in the protracted and evolving international effort to fight maritime piracy off the coast of Somalia. It was the first time that force ashore, first authorized by the United Nations Security Council in 2008, had been publicly acknowledged. Though recently receding, piracy off the coast of Somalia has had a destabilizing effect on maritime commerce since at least 2008. The problem has not suffered from lack of attention. Navies from across the globe patrol the seas off of Somalia, many multinational conferences have addressed the issue, and dozens of articles have analyzed and suggested solutions to the problem. Many observers have explained the recent drop by pointing to the increased use of private armed security teams on commercial vessels that transit pirate-infested waters. While that may be the case, this Article examines the legal framework for a strategy that has not been attempted on any great scale — the use of military force ashore in Somalia to disrupt and deter piracy off its coast. This analysis is important for at least two reasons. First, piracy might only be receding temporarily. Little has been done on land in Somalia to disrupt the pirates’ core infrastructure and capabilities. Indeed, as recently as August 2013, fifty-seven hostages and four vessels were still being held for ransom, though hostages continue to be released and the number has continued to drop. Second, piracy is not a new phenomenon. A close look at the legal framework for the use of force ashore that developed in this recent flare-up could yield important lessons for dealing more effectively with future problems

“Robin Hook”: The developmental effects of Somali piracy

Copyright @ 2011 Brunel UniversityNaval counter-piracy measures off Somalia have failed to change the incentives for pirates, raising calls for land-based approaches that may involve replacing piracy as a source of income. This paper evaluates the effects of piracy on the Somali economy to establish which (domestic) groups benefit from ransom monies. Given the paucity of economic data on Somalia, we evaluate province-level market data, nightlight emissions and high resolution satellite imagery. We show that significant amounts of ransom monies are spent within Somalia. The impacts appear to be spread widely, benefiting the working poor and pastoralists and offsetting the food price shock of 2008 in the pirate provinces. Pirates appear to invest their money principally in the main cities of Garowe and Bosasso rather than in the backward coastal communities

Feasibility Study: Social Protection in South Central Somalia

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition by policy makers and the international development community that longer-term social protection programming has the potential to reduce poverty and inequality and serve as a foundation upon which, viable livelihoods can be built. In many countries, specially those that are frequently affected by climatic and conflict hazards, this has led to calls for a shift in approach away from interventions thatsimply address the symptoms of household vulnerability towards those which deal with the causes. For more than two decades Somalia has lurched from one humanitarian crisis to another. This debate around the potential of social protection is therefore particularly acute, as years of humanitarian programming seem to have had little impact on increasing household resilience to shocks. Furthermore, the country still ranks 165 out of the 170 countries included in the UN's Human Development Index, and number one on the US Fund for Peace 'Failed State Index'.A consortium of agencies working in Somalia commissioned this study: Adeso, ACF, DRC and Save the Children. The study is intended to further the discussion on the rationale and practicalities of social protection in South Central Somalia, and to serve as a starting point for the debate around moving away from short-term responses towards longer-term social protection interventions by these agencies, and others.The report comprises six parts: Part 1 describes the political economy in South Central Somalia and highlights some key challengesfor humanitarian actors; Part 2 defines the general concept of social protection and looks at the global evidence of the impact of social protection; Part 3 looks at social protection programs in African countries (particularly those in the Somalia region), and also in fragile states; Part 4 looks at current social protection mechanisms in South Central Somalia; Part 5 describes the actions that are currently needed before humanitarian programming can become predictable, and Part 6 summarizes the way forward, including recommendations and the conclusions from the study

Somalia: Wail, Amos!

Abstract unavailable

Refugees from Somalia in Buffalo

Somalia is a country that has been divided by civil war since the 1980s. It began due to resistance to the regime of Siad Barre. Once he was overthrown in the 1980s, the resulting power vacuum led to violence. Peace efforts from multi-national groups, neighboring countries, and the United Nations have been attempted, but violence continues and has forced many to flee the country for safety. Somalia is one of the most homogenous countries in Africa. Approximately 85% of the country’s population are ethnic Somalis and practice the Sunni Muslim religion, while the remaining 15% are made up of various ethnic groups. The largest of these is the Somali Bantus, a pastoral clan descended from slaves brought into Somalia from southeastern African countries. Some Bantu have held onto their cultural heritage, while others have been integrated into the Somali culture. Bantus face varying degrees of discrimination and persecution due to their background

PENERAPAN MEDIA PERMAINAN “SNAKES LADDERS” DALAM PEMBELAJARAN KOSAKATA BAHASA ARAB PADA KUTTAB DARUSSUNNAH PURWAKARTA

Arabic learning in Kuttab Darussunnah has become part of the curriculum in the learning process, but not a few obstacles felt by a teacher in delivering learning materials, including learning Mufrodat or Arabic Vocabulary. The lack of enthusiasm in students or students in learning Arabic is one of the reasons for research to conduct research in Kuttab Darussunah. When looking at the innovation of the learning process carried out by teachers by integrating the Snakes Ladder game media (Snakes and ladders), there are several differences in the enthusiasm of students or students in participating in Arabic learning with Mufrodat Material. The method used in this is Descriptive Quantitative. And the purpose of this study is to test the accuracy of the snake and ladder method in Arabic language learning, the data in this study was obtained from observations. The results of observations state that the snake and ladder method is very appropriate to be used in the process of learning Arabic, especially in Arabic vocabulary material. In addition to improving student learning outcomes, it can also create a more pleasant and lively learning atmosphere and students are more responsive to Arabic language learning, so that students can be more active and understand more about the material taught, besides students, teachers also feel the positive impact that teachers are easier to deliver material and teachers do not feel confused by a more active atmosphere

Unofficial Trade When States are Weak: The Case of Cross-Border Commerce in the Horn of Africa

cattle, livestock, Somalia, markets

The pirates of Somalia: Coastguards of anarchy

This paper analyses the underlying factors driving piracy off the coast of Somalia and examines the effectiveness of the international naval anti-piracy mission with respect to its declared aims. We show that while the navies perform well with respect to their short-term aims, they failed to contain the escalation of the piracy problem through 2009: pirates have been diverted from the Gulf of Aden into the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea. Evidence from domestic conditions in Somalia suggests that economic development and greater stability might in fact aid pirates

Improving construction materials management practices in construction sites

Construction Materials Management is a vital function for improving productivity in construction projects. Poor materials management can often affect the overall construction time, quality and budget. Currently, the construction material management practice in Somalia is believed to be poorly performed. Lack of standardized construction materials management system is one of the key issues facing by the building industry in Mogadishu-Somalia. The aim of this study was to investigate the current practices of material management at construction sites in Mogadishu-Somalia. A questionnaire survey study design was used to explore construction materials management practices. Fifty questionnaires were distributed to project managers, project engineers, site engineers, engineer, and foreman, and they were received and analysed. The following data analysis techniques were used: descriptive statistics were conducted to report sample characteristics, reliability and validity analyses were performed to confirm robustness of the instrument, graphical presentation such as bar charts were developed, and finally Average Mean Index Scale were constructed. The study results reveals that, 46.7% of respondent’s organization obtain materials for sites without site requisition by site engineer provisions, while 28.9% of respondent’s organization procure materials for sites with site requisition by project manager provisions and 13.3% of respondent’s organization procure materials for site by engineer. The results indicated that currently there is no standardized and computerized construction materials management system applied in Somalia. The researcher concluded that all contracting companies are interested in using some techniques of managing construction materials such as creating and updating database for materials categories from local and international suppliers. Finally, researcher recommends to use computerized construction materials management systems to reduce effort and time, and to achieve more accurate results