Welmer

Despite the jubilation over the Easter rescue of Captain Richard Phillips and the shooting of his captors, the problem of Somali piracy does not appear to be nearing a solution. There have been calls for the arming of merchant ships, which would require a change of international maritime law and could result in further bloodshed, as well as demands that the towns pirates operate from be bombed or invaded. Unfortunately, people have a hard time understanding how difficult it is to effectively patrol the seas. When we can’t even maintain control over southern Afghanistan or Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province (not to mention our own southern border), how much harder must it be to keep track of numerous small craft operating along the long, lawless coast of Somalia.

This problem is nothing new. Famed British explorer Sir Richard Francis Burton recognized the importance of the Somali coast in 1855, when he undertook a disastrous reconnaissance mission in the country. In a 19th century version of “Blackhawk Down”, he fled with his men following a battle with Somali tribesmen that left one of the British agents dead and several, including Burton, who took a spear to the cheek, wounded. Recognizing the strategic importance of the Somali coast, Burton wrote:

“In the first place, Berberah is the true key of the Red Sea, the centre of East African traffic, and the only safe place for shipping upon the western Erythraean shore, from Suez to Guardafui. Backed by lands capable of cultivation, and by hills covered with pine and other valuable trees, enjoying a comparatively temperate climate, with a regular although thin monsoon, this harbour has been coveted by many a foreign conqueror. Circumstances have thrown it as it were into our arms, and, if we refuse the chance, another and a rival nation will not be so blind.”

The key to protecting the shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, according to Burton, lay in the control of Berbera, a port located in northern Somalia directly across from the Yemeni port of Aden. On the Gulf of Aden, Berbera lies between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean, which places it in a perfect location for either protection or predation of one of the world’s most important sea lanes.

Today, Berbera is the center of the Somaliland independence movement, which aims to create a nation of Somaliland in the north of Somalia. On its website, the Berbera local government claims to be taking an active role in combating piracy. It appears that Somaliland would like to buttress its claims to independence by fighting piracy and protecting ship traffic through the Gulf of Aden. In addition to trade between Africa and Arabia, this has been one of Berbera’s historic roles, so perhaps Somaliland should be taken seriously.

Pacifying Somaliland may be a difficult task, but it has been done before. Traditionally, Yemeni warriors provided security in Ottoman and then British holdings in the area, so perhaps the old method of securing strategic points along the northern coast of the Horn of Africa should be considered today. As for patrolling the waters, the US Navy obviously does not have the resources to do so alone, but an international coast guard operating from Berbera and funded at least in part by tolls on ships passing through the Gulf of Aden as well as taxes on the trade of goods between Africa and Arabia could prove to be very effective in stifling piracy.

The best solution to Somali piracy may well lie in the recognition of Somaliland’s independence and the establishment of a base in Berbera. Not only would this greatly enhance the security of the region; it would bring much needed economic growth to the region as trade could flourish in a safe, regulated environment. It is time to take the Somaliland movement seriously, and finally bring some much-needed stability to the Horn of Africa.