| BCCP Urges Warlords To Stop Depleting Somalia's Marine
Resources AFRICA NEWS SERVICE , February 23, 2000 Bay Centre For Conflict
Prevention (BCCP) Baidoa City (Southern Somalia)
Conflict Monitoring Officials of "Bay Centre for Conflict Prevention" (BCCP)
have reported to the Centre's security team today that Somali warlords entered into
fishing vessel licensing arrangements with a number of foreign countries, by illegally
providing fishing access rights in demarcated area of the Somali fishing zone. Somali
warlords has in turn received substantial military equipment and huge amounts of money.
Consequently, huge biodiversity loses are caused in the Somali water zone, which in turn
affect long-term socio- economic welfareof coastal communities. Such biodiversity losses
have accelerated since the collapse of a central government. According to the Centre's
sources, biodiversity losses in the Somali zone are mainly caused by by-catch of
turtlesand dolphin by foreign vessels, and destruction of critical reef habitat by foreign
trawlers. The same sources also confirmed that biological resources such as lobster and
shark are potentially at risk since they are intensely fished by mining operations.
According tot the Centre's monitoring team,most of the fishing vessels are illegally
involved in harvesting high-value tuna, shark and ray fins, lobster, deepwater shrimp and
demersal whitefish due to growing demand for such marine products in world market. Such
potential demand for marine products speeds up illegal harvesting in the Somalizone, and
worsening the biodiversity damages; it also strengthens the Somali warlords' economic
power in Somalia's anarchic system. According to a report received by the Centre, 'it is
unlikely that Somali warlords and vessel operators will support a return to legal
operations whereby Somali national state would license an access to its water zone via a
legal and transparent process'. Viewed in that light, the recent rejection by Mogdishu
warlords against Djibouti peace plan for Somalia, reflects absolute economic advantages -
such as the misuse of Somalia's marine resources and of public infrastructure (such as
airports and ports) - for Somali warlords in anarchic system. According to the Centre's
monitoring team, Mogdishu warlords are now working very hard on making Somali peace
process very difficulty since the issues at stake for warlords are inter alia: power,
money, land and the control of export crops such as bananas. 'Mogdishu warlords have
mobilised Somali people who were neighbours and had long historical social interactions,
to hate and kill each other. Yet, the same warlords have much enthusiasmtoday for
inflicting deep damage into Somali social fabrics, for the sake of their material
interests', according to the Centre's report, which quoted a human rights worker in
Mogdishu, Somalia. 'It is not the militiamen of warlords Hussein Aidid and Osman Ato who
are dearly paying their lives for the economic interests of such barbaric warlords but we,
the unarmed civilian populations of their clans on whose names the conflicts are being
waged in their country. What a tragic life!', said a woman widowed by the civil war,
Mogdishu, Somalia. 'The can elders in the north-east of Somalia (presently Puntland state
of Somalia) led to the creation of autonomous administration and acted as a counterbalance
to the Puntland government. We, clan elders here in Mogdishu, do not have such the
strength of clan elders in Puntland region. Our traditional role in solving conflicts has
already been depleted by the warlords, while the clan elders in Puntland play a vital role
in their regional stability and in reconciliation efforts', according to theCentre's
report, which quoted a clan elder in Mogdishu. The Conflict Monitoring Officials have also
reported to the Centre's security team that a Mogdishu warlord gave London-based licensing
corporation access to Somali waters, with the object of receiving royalties from the
corporation through itsoperations in the Somali water zone. It is believed that Eritrea
and some Arab countries are also involved in the marine businesses with Mogdishu warlords.
The officials have mentioned that a number of Somali sub-regional administrations are
aware of such operations. 'It is very tragic that some Arab countries strongly support
Mogdishu warlords against the Rahawein unarmed civilian populations politically,
economically and materially. Such support will only exacerbate and perpetuate the Somali
civil war', according to the Centre's report, which quoted a Rahawein clan elder in Baidoa
city. 'The foreign fleets benefit from licences signed by Somali warlords, despite the
fact the legality of the licence is invalid under international law', a marine law expert
in Nairobi, Kenya, said. Meanwhile warlords of the port city of Kimayo (warlord Aidid's
support wing) have started giving illegal licences to foreign vessels in exchange for
military equipment and food; and the local traders are benefiting from an uncontrollable
situation in Kismayo city and its surrounding areas by illegally cutting down trees. It is
reported that some Ethiopian business leaders (from Oromo tribe) are also engaged in the
marine business. So far, a confidential report received by the Centre identifies several
fishing vessels which operate in Somali water zone, such as the holders of 'the following
flags: Egypt (trawlers targeting shark under licence of Mogdishu warlords); France (purse
seiners targeting tuna licensed to the food company Cobrecaf); Honduras (EU purse seiners
targeting tuna under flag of convenience); Japan (longliners now operate under licence to
the Somaliland); Korea (longliners targeting swordfish seasonally); Pakistan (trawlers
targeting shark); Saudia Arabia (trawlers under licence to Mogdishu warlords); Sri Lanka
(trawlers under licence to Somaliland and based at Berbera, Somaliland) and Yemen
(trawlers under licence to Mogdishu warlords)'. The warlords' actions threaten the
biological diversity andecological processes on which wisely use of marine resources for
the benefit of all Somalis depend. Somalia's waters are valuable national resources and
community assets, according to the Centre's economic officials. Therefore, the Centre
firmly urges the international community and Somali civil society to take the
responsibility for protecting and governing Somali waters. It also urges the neighbouring
African countries to prevent foreign vessels plundering Somali coastal resources, and to
improve international safetyof maritime navigation and protection in Somali waters. The
Centre strongly recommends the UN specialised agencies and the Inter-Governmental
Authority for Development (IGAD) to establish an interim marine governance framework with
legal and political economy dimensions on Somali marine affairs, with a view to assuring a
safety for inshore and offshore fisheries. A key goal of the policy framework has to be
based on ensuring that management tools are in place in relative stable regions, in order
to protect Somali's marine biological diversity and to ensure sustainability, security and
wealth generation. The policy framework should establish broad principles, planning and
management approaches in order to achieve the key goal. In this prespective, the Centre
urges the IGAD countries to facilitate the needed financial package for the project so as
to translate those approaches into action. The Centre calls on the IGAD countries to
consider the use of regional (multinational) coastguard forces and to engage the Somali
autonomous regional administrations in regional marine management process. In addition,
decisions about Somali marine resource assessment and use should be
transparent,sustainable and should provide equitable opportunities for all Somali
community now and for future generations. It also calls on autonomous administrations of
Somalia to come up with regional marine jurisdictions for the purpose of effective
planning and efficient marine resource management. However, we do believe that the safety
of Somali waters should be the direct responsibility of the future Somali national
government. |