Stories about Somalia from October, 2010
Somali Pirates Captures Taiwanese Fishing Boat off Madagascar Coast
Somali pirates may have seized Taiwanese fishing ship Feng Guo and its 14 crew members off the east coast of Madagascar. Le Matinal adds that Mauritius PM will speak out today in favor of an inter-regional strategy against piracy [fr]. Feng Guo had a fishing license issued by authority in Mauritius.
Somalia: Hawala Tech and Banks in Somalia
Erik looks at Hawala and bank systems in Somalia: “Somali’s have been using the Hawala form of money transfer for centuries, to the tune of approximately $1.6 billion annually. Somalia, per capita, has one of the largest diaspora populations in the world.”
Sahel Region: On Paying Ransom for Hostages
Hostage-taking by a militant Islamist group called Al-Qaeda in The Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is on the rise in the Sahel region which spans across several countries in the north of Africa. In order to free hostages, governments and companies have put political pressure on the African nations involved, or opted to pay ransoms directly. However, the strategy of paying ransom is often decried as ineffective and dangerous in the long run.
