Location Transport

Pedestrians lie down on the pavement during a shoot out between

Summary: Pedestrians lie down on the pavement during a shoot out between police officers and gangsters on Nairobi s Banda Street on Tuesday The gang had gone on a robbery spree killing a shop attendant and wounding another A shop assistant was killed and a businessman seriously injured when gangsters unleashed terror in Nairobi City Centre on Tuesday afternoon Six gangsters robbed shops on Nairobi s Kaunda Street and Kenyatta Avenue They fired their guns as they dashed through Wabera Street Banda Kimathi and later Biashara streets before escaping On Tuesday three premises were raided and a police officer mugged in two hours Some gang members walked towards Tom Mboya Street as police ran in circles searching for them  The three groups share the ever increasing illicit profits ransoms paid in cash by the shipping companies A report by UK think tank Chatham House says piracy off the coast of Somalia has cost up to $30m £17m in ransoms so far this year The study also notes that the pirates are becoming more aggressive and assertive something the initial $22m ransom demanded for MV Faina proves The asking price has apparently since fallen to $8m Yemen across the Gulf of Aden is reportedly where the pirates get most of their weapons from A significant amount is also bought directly from the Somali capital Mogadishu Observers say Mogadishu weapon dealers receive deposits for orders via a hawala company an informal money transfer system based on honour Militiamen then drive the arms north to the pirates in Puntland where they are paid the balance on delivery It has been reported in the past that wealthy businessmen in Dubai were financing the pirates But the BBC s Somali Service says these days it is the businessmen asking the pirates for loans Such success is a great attraction for Puntland s youngsters who have little hope of alternative careers in the war torn country Once a pirate makes his fortune he tends to take on a second and third wife often very young women from poor nomadic clans who are renowned for their beauty But not everyone is smitten by Somalia s new elite This piracy has a negative impact on several aspects of our life in Garowe resident Mohamed Hassan laments He cites an escalating lack of security because hundreds of armed men are coming to join the pirates They have made life more expensive for ordinary people because they pump huge amounts of US dollars into the local economy which results in fluctuations in the exchange rate he says Their lifestyle also makes some unhappy They promote the use of drugs chewing khat a stimulant which keeps one alert and smoking hashish and alcohol Mr Hassan says The trappings of success may be new but piracy has been a problem in Somali waters for at least 10 years when Somali fishermen began losing their livelihoods Their traditional fishing methods were no match for the illegal trawlers that were raiding their waters Piracy initially started along Somalia s southern coast but began shifting north in 2007 and as a result the pirate gangs in the Gulf of Aden are now multi clan operations But Garowe resident Abdulkadil Mohamed says they do not see themselves as pirates Illegal fishing is the root cause of the piracy problem he says They call themselves coastguards Pedestrians lie down on the pavement during a shoot out between police officers and gangsters on Nairobi s Banda Street on Tuesday The gang had gone on a robbery spree killing a shop attendant and wounding another A shop assistant was killed and a businessman seriously injured when gangsters unleashed terror in Nairobi City Centre on Tuesday afternoon Six gangsters robbed shops on Nairobi s Kaunda Street and Kenyatta Avenue They fired their guns as they dashed through Wabera Street Banda Kimathi and later Biashara streets before escaping On Tuesday three premises were raided and a police officer mugged in two hours Some gang members walked towards Tom Mboya Street as police ran in circles searching for them  The three groups share the ever increasing illicit profits ransoms paid in cash by the shipping companies A report by UK think tank Chatham House says piracy off the coast of Somalia has cost up to $30m £17m in ransoms so far this year The study also notes that the pirates are becoming more aggressive and assertive something the initial $22m ransom demanded for MV Faina proves The asking price has apparently since fallen to $8m Yemen across the Gulf of Aden is reportedly where the pirates get most of their weapons from A significant amount is also bought directly from the Somali capital Mogadishu Observers say Mogadishu weapon dealers receive deposits for orders via a hawala company an informal money transfer system based on honour Militiamen then drive the arms north to the pirates in Puntland where they are paid the balance on delivery It has been reported in the past that wealthy businessmen in Dubai were financing the pirates But the BBC s Somali Service says these days it is the businessmen asking the pirates for loans Such success is a great attraction for Puntland s youngsters who have little hope of alternative careers in the war torn country Once a pirate makes his fortune he tends to take on a second and third wife often very young women from poor nomadic clans who are renowned for their beauty But not everyone is smitten by Somalia s new elite This piracy has a negative impact on several aspects of our life in Garowe resident Mohamed Hassan laments He cites an escalating lack of security because hundreds of armed men are coming to join the pirates They have made life more expensive for ordinary people because they pump huge amounts of US dollars into the local economy which results in fluctuations in the exchange rate he says Their lifestyle also makes some unhappy They promote the use of drugs chewing khat a stimulant which keeps one alert and smoking hashish and alcohol Mr Hassan says The trappings of success may be new but piracy has been a problem in Somali waters for at least 10 years when Somali fishermen began losing their livelihoods Their traditional fishing methods were no match for the illegal trawlers that were raiding their waters Piracy initially started along Somalia s southern coast but began shifting north in 2007 and as a result the pirate gangs in the Gulf of Aden are now multi clan operations But Garowe resident Abdulkadil Mohamed says they do not see themselves as pirates Illegal fishing is the root cause of the piracy problem he says They call themselves coastguards

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