Create jobs to fight piracy

Economic prosperity key to winning piracy fight.

Create jobs not jails to fight maritime crime, says Somaliland’s counter-piracy chief

Contributor:  Andrew Elwell

If there’s one thing that the Somaliland government wants us – the international community – to know about maritime crime and the country’s future economic stability, it’s this:

“Whether it’s on our waters or on the waters of our neighbours in Somalia, as long as there are young Somali-speaking men in the Horn of Africa who have got access to arms and do not have any means of earning a living, the waters of the Horn of Africa will not be safe.”

Mohamed Osman Ahmed is the Executive Director of Somaliland’s Counter Piracy Coordination (CPC) Office and is leading efforts in the country to eliminate maritime crime through coastal development programmes, local governance, and job creation.

Speaking exclusively to Defence IQ, Ahmed said that while piracy off the coast of Somaliland has fallen dramatically since 2012, there are other maritime threats that must now be addressed in a similar way. The root cause of all maritime crime is the same, so Ahmed believes all efforts must be targeted towards confronting the issues at source.

To continue reading, please click here.

Source: defenceiq.com