Toxic waste' behind Somali piracy

By Najad Abdullahi

Somali pirates have accused European firms of dumping toxic waste off
the Somali coast and are demanding an $8m ransom for the return of a
Ukranian ship they captured, saying the money will go towards cleaning
up the waste.

The ransom demand is a means of "reacting to the toxic waste that has
been continually dumped on the shores of our country for nearly 20
years", Januna Ali Jama, a spokesman for the pirates, based in the
semi-autonomous region of Puntland, said.

"The Somali coastline has been destroyed, and we believe this money is
nothing compared to the devastation that we have seen on the seas."

The pirates are holding the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks
and military hardware, off Somalia's northern coast. According to the
International Maritime Bureau, 61 attacks by pirates have been reported
since the start of the year. While money is the primary objective of the
hijackings, claims of the continued environmental destruction off
Somalia's coast have been largely ignored by the regions's maritime
authorities.

Dumping allegations

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy for Somalia confirmed to Al Jazeera
the world body has "reliable information" that European and Asian
companies are dumping toxic waste, including nuclear waste, off the
Somali coastline. "I must stress however, that no government has
endorsed this act, and that private companies and individuals acting
alone are responsible," he said

The pirates are holding the MV Faina off Somalia's northern coast
[Reuters] Allegations of the dumping of toxic waste, as well as illegal
fishing, have circulated since the early 1990s. But evidence of such
practices literally appeared on the beaches of northern Somalia when the
tsunami of 2004 hit the country.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) reported the tsunami had washed up
rusting containers of toxic waste on the shores of Puntland. Nick
Nuttall, a UNEP spokesman, told Al Jazeera that when the barrels were
smashed open by the force of the waves, the containers exposed a
"frightening activity" that has been going on for more than decade.
"Somalia has been used as a dumping ground for hazardous waste starting
in the early 1990s, and continuing through the civil war there," he said.

"European companies found it to be very cheap to get rid of the waste,
costing as little as $2.50 a tonne, where waste disposal costs in Europe
are something like $1000 a tonne. "And the waste is many different
kinds. There is uranium radioactive waste. There is lead, and heavy
metals like cadmium and mercury. There is also industrial waste, and
there are hospital wastes, chemical wastes ­ you name it."

Nuttall also said that since the containers came ashore, hundreds of
residents have fallen ill, suffering from mouth and abdominal bleeding,
skin infections and other ailments. "We [the UNEP] had planned to do a
proper, in-depth scientific assessment on the magnitude of the problem.
But because of the high levels of insecurity onshore and off the Somali
coast, we are unable to carry out an accurate assessment of the extent
of the problem," he said.

However, Ould-Abdallah claims the practice still continues. "What is
most alarming here is that nuclear waste is being dumped. Radioactive
uranium waste that is potentially killing Somalis and completely
destroying the ocean," he said.

Toxic waste

Ould-Abdallah declined to name which companies are involved in waste
dumping, citing legal reasons.

But he did say the practice helps fuel the 18-year-old civil war in
Somalia as companies are paying Somali government ministers to dump
their waste, or to secure licences and contracts.

"There is no government control ... and there are few people with high
moral ground ... [and] yes, people in high positions are being paid off,
but because of the fragility of the TFG [Transitional Federal

Government], some of these companies now no longer ask the authorities ­
they simply dump their waste and leave."

Ould-Abdallah said there are ethical questions to be considered because
the companies are negotiating contracts with a government that is
largely divided along tribal lines.

"How can you negotiate these dealings with a country at war and with a
government struggling to remain relevant?"

In 1992, a contract to secure the dumping of toxic waste was made by
Swiss and Italian shipping firms Achair Partners and Progresso, with Nur
Elmi Osman, a former official appointed to the government of Ali Mahdi
Mohamed, one of many militia leaders involved in the ousting of Mohamed
Siad Barre, Somalia's former president.

At the request of the Swiss and Italian governments, UNEP investigated
the matter.

Both firms had denied entering into any agreement with militia leaders
at the beginning of the Somali civil war.

Osman also denied signing any contract.

'Mafia involvement'

However, Mustafa Tolba, the former UNEP executive director, told Al
Jazeera that he discovered the firms were set up as fictitious companies
by larger industrial firms to dispose of hazardous waste.

"At the time, it felt like we were dealing with the Mafia, or some sort
of organised crime group, possibly working with these industrial firms,"
he said.

Nations have found it difficult to tackle the problem of piracy [AFP]
"It was very shady, and quite underground, and I would agree with
Ould-Abdallah¹s claims that it is still going on... Unfortunately the
war has not allowed environmental groups to investigate this fully."

The Italian mafia controls an estimated 30 per cent of Italy's waste
disposal companies, including those that deal with toxic waste.

In 1998, Famiglia Cristiana, an Italian weekly magazine, claimed that
although most of the waste-dumping took place after the start of the
civil war in 1991, the activity actually began as early as 1989 under
the Barre government.

Beyond the ethical question of trying to secure a hazardous waste
agreement in an unstable country like Somalia, the alleged attempt by
Swiss and Italian firms to dump waste in Somalia would violate
international treaties to which both countries are signatories.

Legal ramifications

Switzerland and Italy signed and ratified the Basel Convention on the
Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their
Disposal, which came into force in 1992.

EU member states, as well as 168 other countries have also signed the
agreement.

The convention prohibits waste trade between countries that have signed
the convention, as well as countries that have not signed the accord
unless a bilateral agreement had been negotiated.

It is also prohibits the shipping of hazardous waste to a war zone. Abdi
Ismail Samatar, professor of Geography at the University of Minnesota,
told Al Jazeera that because an international coalition of warships has
been deployed to the Gulf of Aden, the alleged dumping of waste must
have been observed.

Environmental damage

"If these acts are continuing, then surely they must have been seen by
someone involved in maritime operations," he said. "Is the cargo aimed
at a certain destination more important than monitoring illegal
activities in the region? Piracy is not the only problem for Somalia,
and I think it's irresponsible on the part of the authorities to
overlook this issue."

Mohammed Gure, chairman of the Somalia Concern Group, said that the
social and environmental consequences will be felt for decades.

"The Somali coastline used to sustain hundreds of thousands of people,
as a source of food and livelihoods. Now much of it is almost destroyed,
primarily at the hands of these so-called ministers that have sold their
nation to fill their own pockets."

Ould-Abdallah said piracy will not prevent waste dumping. "The
intentions of these pirates are not concerned with protecting their
environment," he said. "What is ultimately needed is a functioning,
effective government that will get its act together and take control of
its affairs."