February 2012

UK Commando Raids on Pirate Bases  - it was reported on the SUN (so it must be true!) that the Attorney General has given the green light for commando raids on pirate bases in Somalia.   The SUN reported that the attacks are to be launched from the aircraft carrier (journalistic licence ahoy ?) OCEAN and will involved the APACHE helicopter gunships.    Detailed plans have been drawn up (at the end of last year) for the military raids along Somalia's coast, and this was discussed at a full meeting of the UK National Security Council where senior “Whitehall officials” argued against the plans, fearing they could stir up more trouble in the region.

Behind this story was the wider issue of the Somali pirates who in 2011 attacked 400 international ships hijacking more than 100 and who since 2008 have taken thousands hostages.    The British Prime Minister hosted an international summit in London aimed at finding solutions to the Somalia crisis and the US Secretary of State and UN Secretary General joined leaders from 56 countries.   The British have a full “Captain” designated Commander of the UK Counter-Piracy Task Group,    The advent of Somali piracy in 2008 caught people by surprise, and there was a strong sense that nothing could be done to defeat the pirates.     With no obvious solution to the problems of Somalia ashore, the huge distances involved made it difficult for military forces to protect merchant vessels effectively.   Attacks on merchant vessels are down by 80 per cent and today there are only a handful of vessels held captive off the Somali coast.  Most merchant vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden are now employing armed and unarmed security teams, along with other protection measures. Collectively this description of merchant ship self-protection goes by the mundane name of 'industry best management practice'.     But there is an even bigger strategic picture. The pressure put on pirates by military success has created headroom for those tackling the more intractable issues of governance ashore in Somalia. This week's Somalia Conference in London marks the next stage in restoring calm to the Indian Ocean.