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Pirates of Africa

If you thought pirates were a thing of fairytales and the past, think again. In Somalia and Nigeria, not only do they exist, but they are violent and unpoliced, and menacing to surrounding seas.

Launching attacks and hijacking boats, the London-based International Maritime Bureau says that it has become deadly for many close to or riding the seas. Somalia`s new government is already battling to control its city center, so the patrolling of its coasts is virtually non-existent. The senior analyst at IMB, Cyrus Mody, explained that pirates enjoy "totally free rein without any sort of deterrence from the law - they've got a free hand right now." Additionally, Ethiopian forces have attempted on numerous occasions to crack down against the piracy off Somalia's coast where a private Islamic army has been established. However, they have been met by serious gun-battles and even death.

Director of IMB, Pottengal Mukundan, told that "the level of violence in high-risk areas remain unacceptable. Pirates in Somalia are operating with impunity, seizing vessels hundreds of miles off the coast and holding the vessel and crew to ransom, making no attempt to hide their activity." Pirates have also been caught targeting humanitarian vessels delivering food and medical aid to northeastern Africa. And the blocking of much-needed humanitarian aid is the least serious of their crimes.

Pirates also steal the army`s valuable communications equipment, and empty the personal bank accounts of shipping individuals. According to government officials, this has provided them with a lucrative business, and experts say that this is partially the reason why the government is so uninvolved. Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia are also heavily infiltrated with pirates, and world-wide there has been a 14% increase in pirate attacks in 2007. Director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Stephen Morrison, explains that "When there's opportunity, motivation and means, that's where there are clusters of piracy."