Somali ex-pirates seek employment

Mohamed Abdi Hassan, one of Somalia’s most notorious pirate chiefs, appears more businessman than bandit, as he explains why he wants to end the hijackings.

Jobs wanted: Somali ex-pirates seek employment

For a fearsome pirate, even one in self-declared retirement, there is a notable lack of what literature has led one to expect: cutlass, eye-patch, hook or even a parrot.

Instead, Mohamed Abdi Hassan, one of Somalia’s — if not the world’s — most notorious pirate chiefs, appears far more businessman than sea bandit, as he explains why he now wants to end the murderous hijacking of ships.

Hassan, better known as “Afweyne” or “Big Mouth”, whose men once terrorised vast stretches of the Indian Ocean — generating millions of dollars in ransoms from seized ships — now claims to have renounced piracy.

“The young men need to be trained, to get skills and get integrated into society,” Afweyne said, pulling out of his briefcase an official letter apparently nominating him as an “anti-piracy officer”.

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Source: News Republic.