Give us jobs, say Somali pirates
| focus |
 |
HOBYO — The pirates of old often took to the seas to rebel against the social order but in lawless Somalia, many pirates say they would happily pay taxes and take a job in a factory.
Among the pirates of Hobyo, there is no hint of libertarianism nor any assertion of an alternative lifestyle. Most describe their activity as a crime of survival.
Ahmed Osoble is too young to have witnessed any form of organized government and like many young men in central Somalia’s remote coastal areas relied entirely on fishing for his livelihood.
“Since around 2003, the quantity of fish in our waters started decreasing badly and it became almost impossible to live off the sea,” says Ahmed, a soft-spoken 27-year-old.
He remembers the day in 2008 he left his nets on the beach and set off on his first piracy mission.
“I wasn’t scared, it was a do-or-die situation. I had nothing to eat.”.... MORESource: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100903com6.html
0 comments
Post a Comment