Somalia Pirates By Leah Schaller and Alison Grossman

Where? Most of the pirate attacks have been reported to occur off the Somalia coast

At first it was “Pure Survival” -one of the few opportunities to make a living in lawless Somalia. -Stole from local fisherman. -Used the money to buy boats and weapons.

Pirates Gone Crazy Lately, the Pirates are becoming more organized and persistent. –Because of food prices going up It has become a highly profitable, sophisticated criminal business with millions of dollars in ransom payments.

Who They Work For -They mainly work for themselves -Most pirates work in groups similair to gangs called clans -They gain alliances with the officials from the Puntland government and bribe them so they can use ports to store their captured ships

- the warlords get the money and in most cases, give it out to their family and friends -they also distribute it to their clan members Benefits

Al Queda Connection? There is some evidence that connects the pirate attacks to Al Queda through the International Islamist Groups "There may be some loose elements among the Islamist groups that have tie-ups with the pirates, because the movement is fractured into six or seven different groups, and each may have its own problems getting funding," says Jhazbhay.

What Are We Doing To Stop Them -The NATO alliance and a group of countries assigned ships to patrol the coast of the Somalia coast and the area surrounding it -However, there are no guarantees of total safety ( the pirates have gotten past Naval patrolling) - "Unless you have a warship in the immediate area, and, crucially, with a helicopter, you've got no chance of stopping them," says Cornwell.

Continued.. - Ships also should try to protect themselves from the pirates by making sure they are prepared for any surprise attacks - Egypt hosted a meeting with many countires including Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Jordan -They tried to figure out a joint strategy against piracy that threatens trade through the Suez Canal which is a major canal for Egypt

Stories New wave of Somali pirate attacks Click picture