Fikrada
halkan ku qoran waxaa ka masuul ah qofkii
qoray oo ah Faysal Diriye. The views published
here are solely those of its authors
Faysal Diriye. and do not necessarily reflect
those of Somaliland Net .Article
and Opinion
Stealing My Fish, Adding Insult to Economic Injury
Mar 20 2006
Stealing fish from another country’s territorial waters is a common fish piracy operation; however, for Yemenis being aware catching fish outside their national territorial waters is haraam (forbidden), and still, continuously scooping out Somaliland’s rich marine resources is best described as unjust--an international theft. To Yemen being in the jurisdiction of another country or in Somaliland’s waters is irrelevant, never mind unjust. The question is for how long can we sit back and watch our fish stolen? These incursions continued for the past fifteen years, but very recently fish piracy became unbearable. Another mind-boggling question is; wasn’t the ban of Somaliland’s livestock harsh enough?
Since the ban of livestock imposed on Somaliland by the Arabs, this illegal fishing is yet another economic slap in the face of Somaliland by a neighboring Arab country--namely Yemen. Because of our country’s “failure” to comply with the Arab demands--another gunshot marriage between Somaliland and Somalia--supposedly, the sanctions should have forced Hargeysa to think twice before pursuing its independence. By now shouldn’t Somaliland supposed to disappear from the radar system? In contrast, although severely wounded by the brutal attacks of Siad Barre’s regime in the late 1980’s, presently feeling the heat of political isolation and worst of all its lifeline being choked off--Somaliland limps but far from defeated.
The livestock bans have had crippling affects on Somaliland’s economy, but it has not diminished the spirit of Somali Landers, nor has it stopped to find an alternative solution for Somaliland’s livestock. On a positive note, the ban was a wake-up call for Somaliland. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, because economically relaying on livestock alone was a disaster waiting to happen. And the timing couldn’t have been worse. The embargo chocked off Somaliland’s lifeline and brought virtually economic growth to halt. An estimated 86% of the economy collapsed overnight--because of the Rift Valley fever (RVF) or the Rift Valley hoax (RVH), since it has never been found by the UN’s veterinarians in Somaliland or in Somalia. In addition, the RVH--the politically motivated economic holocaust--has never caused any deaths in Somaliland. Then, it defies common sense and logic the “disease” that has not killed a single person in Somaliland would kill anyone in the Arab countries. Not surprisingly, but where science and common sense prevailed, time and again, Arab mentality failed.
What’s more, pushing Somaliland further up into a corner hasn’t been good enough for the Arab countries in general and for Yemen in particular. Recently, nine Yemeni fishing boats and their crew of eighty four fishermen were captured by Somaliland’s coastguards. The nine boats were part of an illegal Yemeni fishing fleet of up to 200 boats in Somaliland waters. Shortly after their arrest the fishermen were set free with barely slap on their writs.
Understandably, Somaliland has a limited resource to fight against illegal fishing; moreover, its efforts to strike a balance between protecting its marine resources and improving its relationship with the Arab regimes have caught Hargeysa between a rock and a hard place. However, there is a little doubt this scourge of illegal fishing will put more strains on the relationship between Somaliland and Yemen.
Again, it looks as though the economic holocaust hasn’t been inhumane enough; to add insult to economic injury, many Arab fishing industries operate a profitable illegal fishing business, at the cost of our marine resources. In other words, Arabs don’t want to buy Somaliland’s livestock, but they don’t mind stealing Somaliland’s fish. Dose double standards mean anything to them? Does it matter whether a fish is stolen from a Supper Market in Yemen or from Somaliland’s waters? Any way you slice it; a theft is a theft. Plain and simple! Of course, in Yemen the alleged person would be charged a theft, however, in Somaliland that same person might be set free. After all, a diplomatic rift between us and our neighbor is not in the best interest of Somaliland. As a result Yemenis were let go. The two most out spoken regimes--Yemen and Egypt-- against Somaliland’s independence are, ironically, the front runners of this illegal fishing business. Does this strike you as absurd? Indeed, it is more than absurd. The danger of illegal fishing proliferation includes harvesting prohibited species and using outlawed types of fishing gears. Needless to say, such overexploitation challenges to sustainable fisheries for Somaliland fishing communities.
Meanwhile, the Somaliland fishermen’s patience is wearing too thin. But for how long can they hold off? Maybe until Yemenis steal fish out of their mouth! The calm water of the Red Sea with its clean golden sand beaches and its crystal clear waters could one day turn into a battle ground. There might be times when a distant thunder of the countless Yemeni illegal fishing boats may wash to the shore a message of impending disaster--dead Yemeni fishermen. When push comes to shove, Somaliland fishermen might be compelled to defend their marine resources by arming themselves where they won’t hesitate to defend their territorial waters--their God given rights--at any cost. Hence, illegal fishing in Somaliland’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) may result not only in stolen fish, but also in lost lives.
Once shots are fired, since Yemen is in Washington’s favorite list of nations willing to fight against “terrorism”, Yemen may blow the whistle about the presence of “terrorists”--also known as poor Somaliland fishermen defending their rights-- in the Red Sea.
In relation to Sea piracy, recently, Yemen’s Foreign and Migrants Affairs Minster, Mr. Abubakr al-Qirbi said that Somali pirates kidnapped a number of Yemeni fishermen and their boats. Was the Minster--out of ignorance--calling the Somaliland coastguards pirates? The Minster also spoke of the danger of piracy in the Golf of Aden, but he failed to mention that his own country poses more threats to Somaliland fishing communities than anything else. Certainly, the Minster’s double thinking was entertaining, if not sheer nonsense.
So much for Yemen being a good neighbor and its hollow mantra of “helping” Somalis; clearly, its rhetoric contradicts its actions. Aside from the livestock ban, illegal fishing, the plight of the Somali refugees in Yemen where they have experienced rape, torture and murder in the hands of Yemeni security forces, and sending weapons to Somalia--where some of these weapons would be used against Somaliland; there has yet to be seen the so-called “love” that our Yemeni “brothers and sisters” supposed to share with us.
At the end, the interest of Washington may go, but Yemen’s neighbor (Somaliland) will stay. Perhaps in the near future, the tide might turn against Yemen. Under the watchful eye of a formidable Somaliland Navy Forces, our fishermen might one day fish in Yemen’s EEZ. History does not just repeat itself but it also does odd things sometimes. No one knows exactly the percentage of marine fish stocks stolen from Somaliland’s territorial waters, however, no one doubts who is behind the fish piracy operations. Between the Arab-hyped political minefields and their economic booby traps, Somaliland continues to survive against all odds.
Fikrada halkan ku qoran waxaa ka masuul
ah qofkii qoray oo ah Faysal Diriye.
The views published here are solely those
of its authors Faysal Diriye.
and do not necessarily reflect those of
Somaliland Net.
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