A leader of a gang of pirates in the waters of Somalia claims that conditions of poverty will always motivate the pirates. From CNN: Somalis are so desperate to survive that attacks on merchant shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean will not stop, a pirate leader promises. “The pirates are living between life and [...]

As pirates continue to hold hostages off the coast of Somalia, the process to pay out ransoms remains a tricky business for those paying. From the Guardian: The lesson from recent years in the Gulf of Aden is that piracy pays, and it is a lesson that has not been lost on the pirates. Piracy is big business [...]

Although the issue of pirates are receiving most of the news coverage in Somalia, human smugglers are also prevalent in the area. From the New York Times Blog: Another set of unsavory characters also plies the Gulf’s azure waters. Human smugglers traffic thousands of people each year from war-torn Somalia to Yemen, about 100 miles across the [...]

Here are several news articles on the pirates off the coast of Somalia.  Piracy costing shippers between $18 to $30 million in ransom payments this year (Financial Times).  374 hostages held by pirates in September (Bloomberg News). Pirates involved in all types of black market activities and serves as heroes to Somali youth (The Observer). It is a fair [...]

The pirates in Somalia who have seized a Ukrainian ship filled with arms are stating that they only wanted to attack the ship because it was “big”.  From the IHT: The Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian freighter loaded with tanks, artillery, grenade launchers and ammunition said in an interview Tuesday that they had no idea that [...]

Somalia tops the list as the world’s most corrupt country, according to Transparency International. From the AP (via IHT): Somalia remains rooted to the bottom of a global corruption index that also features Iraq and Afghanistan among the world’s most corrupt countries, an international watchdog’s annual report said Tuesday. Rich European countries such as Britain and Italy also have [...]

Wired Magazine blog Danger Room has a post on the growing business of Somali Pirates and the amount of revenue they produce. From Danger Room: This is only the latest and most headline-friendly event in worrying trend: Somali gunmen, on land and at sea, are successfully squeezing millions of dollars per month in ransoms from foreign companies [...]

The leader of Somalia’s opposition group is asking the international community to address the issue of piracy off the coast of Somalia. From the AFP (via Google News): Somali waters are the most dangerous in the world for pirate attacks. The International Maritime Bureau reported more than 24 known attacks in the area between April and June [...]

The Wall Street Journal reports that pirate activities off the coast of Somalia is increasing the cost of shipping insurance and may even lead to military intervention.  From the Wall Street Journal: Pirates have stepped up attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden, increasing insurance costs for ship owners and raising the specter of military [...]

Reuters has a round up of the recent pirate activity off the coast of Somalia.  From Reuters: Heavily-armed pirates from Somalia have hijacked at least 30 ships this year. Spreading lawlessness, a rampant insurgency and a worsening aid crisis onshore look set to drive that number higher. Somalia’s 3,300 km (2,060 mile) coastline is considered one of the [...]