Somali pirates continue to attack and seize merchant ships and humanitarian aid vessels off the troubled Horn of Africa. These modern-day buccaneers have scornfully thrown down the gauntlet to shippers and have turned the coastline off East Africa into an “enter at your own risk” zone for global commerce. The harassment and attacks present a clear and present danger to the international community and something which most countries should agree on solving; seriously and soon.
For the past few years, pirate raids from Somali ports have attacked and seized cargo ships with the primary plan to gain ransom for the crews. The buccaneers, operating from a lawless Somali territory, have become increasingly brazen and only on rare occasions have met their match. Over the past few years, the United States, France, and Japan have led efforts in the U.N. Security Council to stop the scourge; resolutions have been passed but without serious consequence to the pirates.
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