The Economist
Anarchy in Somalia
Nov 20th 2008
Pirates are only part of a much bigger problem in east Africa
IT IS tempting to be jaunty about piracy. So what if a few Robin Hoods in skiffs nick the odd tanker off the Horn of Africa? Often enough, the owners pay ransom and nobody gets hurt. Everyone needs a [...]
BBC
November 20, 2008
Somalia must be helped by the international community to stop it becoming a “magnet for pirates,” a senior Egyptian official has said.
Deputy foreign minister Wafaa Bassem, who chaired a piracy crisis meeting of Red Sea states, called for political, humanitarian and economic help.
And a top African Union diplomat called on the [...]
AFP
November 10, 2008
BRUSSELS — The European Union launched Monday a security operation off the coast of Somalia — its first-ever naval mission — to combat growing acts of piracy and help protect aid ships.
Dubbed Operation Atalanta, the mission, endorsed by the bloc’s defence ministers at talks in Brussels, will be led by Britain, with [...]
AP/IHT
October 22, 2008
BRUSSELS — A NATO flotilla sailing toward the Somali coast will begin antipiracy operations within the next few days, but officials said Wednesday that the alliance was still working out the ships’ rules of engagement.
The seven NATO warships will escort cargo ships carrying United Nations food aid to Somalia and will patrol [...]
Reuters
Thu 30 Oct 2008
* ‘Mother ships’ key to pirates’ ability to operate
* Turkish vessel with 20 crew becomes latest ship seized
* NATO, EU, Russian naval forces move into the region
Luke Baker
LONDON - International naval forces operating off the coast of Somalia must be prepared to take on pirate ‘mother ships’ if they are to stem [...]
Reuters
Tue 28 Oct 2008
BRUSSELS - An EU air and sea operation against pirates off Somalia is expected to last a year from its planned December launch and will aim to coordinate its role with other international forces, EU officials said on Tuesday.
Somali pirates have been causing havoc in one of the world’s busiest shipping areas [...]
AP
October 16, 2008
MICHELLE FAUL
NAIROBI, Kenya - U.S. warships watched a hijacked vessel laden with tanks while other gunboats patrolled the dangerous waters off Somalia, but pirates still seized another freighter this week — and now hold about a dozen despite the international effort to protect a major shipping lane.
Military vessels from 10 nations are [...]
Reuters
Tue 14 Oct 2008
BRUSSELS - The European Union aims to launch a planned air and naval force in December to combat piracy threatening sea lanes off Somalia, the bloc’s foreign policy chief said on Tuesday.
Piracy has soared off the coast of Somalia, with at least 30 ships hijacked this year, earning an estimated $18-30 [...]
Institute for Security Studies, Africa-based research institute
SITUATION REPORT: The Eritrea-Djibouti Border Dispute
Complete report is available at the link.
15 September 2008
Berouk Mesfin
From the Introduction:
The objective of this situation report is to provide timely and relevant information
and analysis on the border dispute that recently broke out between Eritrea and
Djibouti. The facts at hand being [...]
AP
Elizabeth A. Kennedy
October 5, 2008
Somali pirates stare down global superpowers
(AP Photo/U.S. Navy)
In this picture released by U.S. Navy, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2008, Somali pirates in small boats are seen alongside the hijacked “Faina”. Armed pirates aboard fast-moving skiffs have increasingly turned the shipping lanes off Somalia into a lucrative hunting grounds: commandeering [...]
