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AuthorElmi, Afyare A.
AuthorAffi, Ladan
AuthorKnight, W. Andy
AuthorMohamed, Said
Available date2019-04-30T04:43:48Z
Publication Date2015-09
Publication NameAfrican Security
Identifierhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19392206.2015.1069118
CitationAfyare A. Elmi, Ladan Affi, W. Andy Knight & Said Mohamed (2015) Piracy in the Horn of Africa Waters: Definitions, History, and Modern Causes, African Security, 8:3, 147-165, DOI: 10.1080/19392206.2015.1069118
ISSN1939-2206
URIhttp://hdl.handle.net/10576/11509
AbstractThroughout history, ocean piracy was common in different parts of the world, but it was rare in the Horn of Africa waters. Although international law clearly defines piracy, the term is often carelessly used interchangeably with different crimes (armed robbery, atrocities against the victims of shipwrecks, maritime terrorism, insurgent attacks, on sea intercommunal conflicts, and at times illegal fishing). In the first section, this article critically examines the link between the multiple definitions of the concept of piracy and how these can explain the various incidents that occurred historically on the coast of Somalia. In the second part, we explain different types of maritime attacks and criminalities that took place in the Horn of Africa waters prior to the upsurge of piracy in late the 1990s. We argue that all attacks and criminal incidents at sea cannot be classified as piracy. We explain why incidents of piracy were rare before the Somali state was established. Finally, utilizing Collier and Hoeffler’s greed and grievance theory, we seek to explain the factors that led to the emergence and spread of piracy. We contend that crime of opportunity explains in large part the motives of the pirates and their ringleaders while statelessness, poverty, illegal fishing, and toxic-waste dumping explain the initial emergence of piracy and tolerance for it among the coastal communities.
SponsorThis publication was made possible by NPRP Grant 5-1275-5-196 from the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of Qatar Foundation). The statements made herein are solely the responsibility of the author[s].
Languageen
PublisherTaylor & Francis (Routledge)
SubjectPiracy
shipwreck
Somalia
poverty
illegal fishing
TitlePiracy in the Horn of Africa Waters: Definitions, History, and Modern Causes
TypeArticle
Pagination147-165
Issue Number3
Volume Number8
ESSN1939-2214


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