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Pirates threatening lives and livelihoods

A view of Mukalla city, Yemen. Dozens of local fishermen in Hadhramaut Governorate say they have been affected by piracy
 Muhammed al-Jabri/IRIN
A view of Mukalla city, Yemen. Dozens of local fishermen in Hadhramaut Governorate say they have been affected by piracy
African pirates in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea are threatening the lives and livelihoods of Yemeni fishermen, according to local officials.

[See also Inside a Somali pirate network]

Fighting pirates by international naval forces had added to the risks as pirates used Yemeni fishermen's boats to camouflage their activities, they said.

"Piracy has become a threat to fishermen and their activities in the sea because of the lack of protection on the part of [Yemeni] coastguards," Khaled Abdullah, secretary-general of Hadramaut Coast Association, told IRIN.

In Mukalla, Hadramaut's biggest district, four fishermen were killed and more injured by pirates, mostly from Somalia, in 2008; more than 10 boats were seized, according to Abdullah.

As a result of these threats, Yemeni fishing activities have decreased by 60 percent, according to Salem Badawood, head of the Mukalla Fishermen Association. "Fish prices have also increased in the market as a result," he told IRIN.

Badawood added that fishermen were no longer able to go far out to sea.

A map highlighting Socotra, a small group of Yemeni islands in the Indian Ocean close to the Horn of Africa.
Photo: IRIN
A map highlighting Socotra, a small group of Yemeni islands in the Indian Ocean close to the Horn of Africa
Fishermen as human shields


In certain cases, pirates have resorted to seizing Yemeni fishermen's boats to use them in their illegal activities and as a ploy to confuse the international naval forces, said Ahmed Hayel, head of the Ministry of Interior's Information Centre.

Hayel told IRIN some local fishermen were kidnapped and used as human shields, adding that more than 30 incidents of piracy against fishermen had already taken place in 2009.

"Yemeni boats have specific marks on them and so they help pirates hide their identity," he said.

Piracy was discussed in a recent regional conference in Sanaa, the capital. Ali Rasei, head of the Ministry of Interior's Coast Guard Authority, said piracy imposed additional financial burdens on Yemen, in addition to the economic burdens imposed by African migrants.

According to Mutahar Rashad al-Masri, the Interior Minister, 42 piracy operations took place in 2008, resulting in the abduction of 815 Yemeni sailors. Only 592 were released.

Socotra Island at risk

Socotra, Yemen's biggest island in the Indian Ocean, was also at risk from piracy since it mainly depended on supplies arriving by sea.

In January 2009, the island suffered a diesel shortage after pirates seized the supply vessel. There were two weeks of power outages, with basic services affected, according to Fahd Saleem, a local journalist.

"What is dangerous is that piracy operations could develop in the area between Socotra and other Yemeni [southern] areas. Food and other supplies come to Socotra by sea," he told IRIN.

Saleem said a ship owned by a company implementing road projects in Socotra was seized by pirates and the projects would have stopped had the pirates not released the ship.

maj/ar/mw

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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