On young Somali people working as pirates in Somalia.

An interview with A., Somali Human rights activist who had to flee Somalia and is now a refugee in Malta.

15 September 2011

What do you think about young people in Somalia who have become pirates?

My feeling is that maybe the warlords used these young people.

They stay behind of the young people.

They give the weapons, they give the small money and the boats and they say: go and kidnap the international ships in the sea.

If you want, ask the intelligence in Mogadishu they know. Because when they take the ransom, you know, immediately the ransom has the warlord.

In Somalia it's clan-ism, every clan has a warlord. This warlord has more money, more guns. Also, he uses the clan children. The people don't have work, the only work that is in Somalia is war.

He gives the money so they have work.

So the issue of the pirates in Somalia, maybe the responsibility of this issue, is with the warlords in Somalia. Ask! Everybody knows of Somali people. Especially the regions, the area of the sea like Mogadishu, like Galkayo region, like Boosaaso region - because the clans of the region participate are pirates of the sea. They share the information, they share the money, they share the guns .

They share.

But it's not wanted to take action against these people. Because now the world is one village, I stay in Malta - if I want New York, I call them, I use internet. The world now is one village, so no one can say he doesn't know what's going on.

Thank you!