“New video this morning of a Somali pirate attack on a US Ship last month. It shows a speedboat heading away from the Liberty Sun after it fired a rocket-propelled grenade. Later you can hear gun shots…” (CNN)
As citizen-shot video leaks to major networks, sources are questioning just how big of a problem piracy will become.
Hello, I’m Charlotte Bellis and you’re watching Newsy.com. That was video from CNN.
NPR talks about the piracy business as just that: … a business.
"Here’s basically what we know about how pirates divide up profits from this and other ransom operations. About 20% goes to pay off officials who look the other way. About 50% for expenses and payroll, so if you’re leading the attack, you can make about 10 to 20 thousand dollars… And that the initial investor – the one who put up his quarter million for seed capital- he gets 30%- sometimes $500,000." (NPR)
One African Blogger for the UN Dispatch looks at what it will take to hurt Somalia’s pirate industry.
“Declaring a "war against piracy" seems to ignore [Somalia’s] domestic political instability and risks needlessly inflaming much of the population whose cooperation will be key to quelling banditry at sea.” (UN Dispatch)
The Economist has their own solution for keeping the pirates at bay.
"…the solution is not at sea but on land. Somalia needs a viable government to control its territory and shores. But that is a long way off. Western countries, after their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, are in no hurry to send soldiers to Somalia." (The Economist)
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