HEADLINES:
R/€ 'Suicidal' pirates defiant as Russia, US close in
October 06, 2008 Edition 3
Nairobi - With a Russian frigate closing in and half a dozen US warships within shouting distance, the pirates holding a tanker off Somalia's coast might appear to have no other choice than to wave the white flag.
But that's not how it works in Somalia.
The 11-day standoff aboard the Ukrainian MV Faina raises the question: How can criminals from one of the poorest countries face off with some of the world's superpowers?
"They have enough guns to fight for another 20 years," said Ted Dagne, a Somalia analyst in Washington.
"And there is no way to win a battle when the other side is suicidal."
In Somalia, pirates are better funded, better organised and better armed than one might imagine in a country in tatters for nearly two decades.
With most attacks ending with million-dollar payouts, piracy is considered the biggest economy in Somalia.
Pirates rarely hurt their hostages, instead holding out for a huge payday.
The strategy works well: A recent report by a think-tank said pirates had raked in up to $30-million (R252-million) in ransoms this year alone.
"If we are attacked we will defend ourselves until every last one of us dies," Sugule Ali, a spokesperson aboard the Faina, said in a satellite phone interview from the ship, which is carrying 33 battle tanks, military weapons and 21 Ukrainian, Latvian and Russian hostages.
"If we are paid, then everything will be okay. No one can tell us what to do."
Piracy in Somalia is nothing new; bandits have stalked the seas for years.
But this year's surge in attacks - nearly 30 so far - has prompted an unprecedented international response.
The Faina has been the highest-profile attack because of its cargo. The US fears the arms could end up in the hands of al-Qaeda-linked militants. - Sapa-AP
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