In recent years Piracy off the coast of Somalia has come in the limelight. To delve deeper into this issue IDSA organized a roundtable on July 15, 2010. Capt. (retd.) Frank Charles van Rooyen, Senior Researcher (Security) at South Africa Institute of International Affairs, Johannesburg and currently Visiting Fellow, IDSA made a presentation on Flotsam and Jetsam, Towards Ending Somali Piracy Ashore (or Addressing the Issue of the Whale in the Room): A South African Perspective. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Arvind Gupta, Lal Bahadur Shastri Chair at IDSA. The participants included, amongst others, Gen. (retd.) B. S Malik; Capt. Alok Bansal, Executive Director, National Maritime Foundation; Capt. P.K. Ghosh, Senior Fellow, ORF; Capt. Ajay Vinay Bhave, IN; Brig. (retd.) Rumel Dhayia, Senior Fellow, IDSA ; Prof. P. Stobdan, Senior Fellow, IDSA; Ruchita Beri, Senior Research Associate, IDSA; Mr. P. K. Upadhyay, Consultant, IDSA; and Mehmet Ozkan, Visiting Fellow, IDSA.

Piracy has become the critical issue for the international community. However, attempts are being made to repress or eradicate what is now beyond a phenomenon; there appears to be recognition of its enduring nature. There is recognition and agreement that it is the lack of a government in Somalia that is the ultimate cause of piracy. Yet, even in the face of the fact at least 14 initiatives have been attempted to re-establish a central functional government in Somalia, very little, if any, progress is being made to turn the situation in Somalia around, so that the country can revert to being an accountable state, able to govern its own affairs and a proud member of world society.

Capt. Van Rooyen proposed a way for the world-at-large to deal with not only the specific case of Somalia as a failed state, but to address the generics of the contemporary issue of failed states generally; in order to develop a pro-active way of dealing with the issue of failing and failed states. He began with a brief analysis of the United Nations Conference of the Law of the Sea, which led to the adoption of the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea in 1982. The world’s reaction to this specific case of piracy will be reviewed, politically from the perspective of the United Nations and its agencies, continental African as well as the politically devolved states’ and regions’ military responses. The author concluded by briefly analysing the strategic advantages of adopting a pro-active approach to failed states in general and to Somalia as a ‘pilot project’ in particular.

Piracy off Somalia continues to be a growth industry, having rapidly shifted gear from hundreds to millions of dollars paid in ransom money. It is often the only way for young men to secure livelihoods and enhance their social status; but this newfound power also represents a sure way to disrupt the fabric of Somalia’s tapestry of clan and tribe hierarchy – which in turn exacerbates an already tenuous state of security. During the six months’ rule by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in 2006, top Islamic leaders urged pirates to cease their criminal activities, which was heeded to the extent that piracy attacks fell dramatically. Only after Ethiopian forces, backed by the United States – which regarded the ICU as a terrorist organisation – ousted the ICU, did piracy re-commence; and with it went the semblance of order and governance that had prevailed. The ideal is that this state of affairs be sustained.

The International Contact Group (ICG) on Somalia meets regularly to discuss the situation in Somalia. Recently, it focused on ways to help implement the Djibouti Agreement signed between the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and Alliance for the Re-Liberation of Somalia (ARS) on 19 August 2008. Since 1991, at least 14 serious attempts have been made to resolve the issue of Somalia and restore it to its status quo ante. There are clearly high levels of frustration at the lack of progress in Somalia, and the impression that the international community is lingering, waiting for the issue to resolve itself is all-pervasive.

Lastly, Capt. Van Rooyen suggested that Somalia and other failing and failed states deserve a life-line of an opportunity, such as the one that delivered the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea in 1982. Somalia and the others in the same boat are worthy of rescue from the pirates, through the hosting of a proposed “World conference on Somalia and other shattered states: Long-lasting solutions”. The aim of such a Conference would be to permanently resolve the issue of Somalia and other shattered states. The action to initiate such a world conference should be taken by IBSA dialogue forum as these three states are voices of the South and valued models of liberal democracy in the world. The author proposed that the three IBSA states – India, Brazil and South Africa – should put the proposal collectively to the United Nations General Assembly.

Discussion:

• Piracy off Somalia has become a transnational crime; it is very difficult to control it. There are chances of a coalition developing between terrorists and pirates in Somalia. If this happens it will aggravate the situation.
• It is important to understand Somali culture before trying to find a solution for the existing crisis. It appears that the Somalis are trying to protect their marine wealth through piracy.
• While there are numerous task forces in the Gulf of Aden to deter the pirates, there is actually no cooperation among them. More importantly actionable information is not shared. However, this view was challenged by others, who felt that cooperation exits, though at the informal level.
• Recently there was a proposal for Turkey to mediate in the Somali issue. India under the platform of IBSA dialogue forum should join forces with Turkey to deal with this issue.
• While IBSA can be a platform to propose a world conference on Somalia and other shattered states, however it is doubtful that the IBSA countries will be willing to put boots on the ground. The best solution to the problem can be found by a grouping of Indian Ocean littoral countries.
• In the past some of the major global problems have been addressed through a world conference, for example, the issue of climate change or disarmament. However at first a consensus needs to be developed on whether the problem in Somalia is an issue of global concern or not?
• Moreover organizing a world conference to address the issue of “failed states” is idealistic and may have several roadblocks, as it is a politically sensitive issue and deals with sovereignty of a nation.
• Finally, while IBSA countries are indeed leading voices of the South, the world conference on the Somalia issue cannot take off without getting the African Union on board.

Report compiled by Ruchita Beri and Mahtab Alam Rizvi