Transcript in English

MOT: The Pirates’ Coast

Yle TV1, first broadcast Monday Feb. 9th, 2009

MOT-trailer

(Archive footage of armed pirates in Somalia)

Pirate Ali Arif: “We have to start executing hostages, just like the pirates did in Indonesia in olden days. Surely you know how they used to do it?”

Episode title: MOT: The Pirates’ Coast

Voiceover, VO: Civil war has ravaged Somalia for almost 20 years, and the country has split into three parts. In the south, including the capital Mogadishu, the situation is chaotic, with Ethiopian troops and Islamic militias fighting each other. The northern provinces, Somaliland and Puntland, have tried to establish their own governments. But they are plagued by a persistent problem: organized piracy.

(Plane takes off)

VO: What’s really going on in the area? How do ordinary people live on the pirates’ coast? MOT decided to find out, and sent reporter Wali Hashi together with photographer Shukri Omar to Puntland.

(Car driving in the night to a Somalian town. After dawn, MOT’s assistant talks on the phone, and a pirate’s voice is heard from the speaker.)

Assistant: “We would like to come and film you. We are not interested in the foreign warships, but the fishing boats.”

Pirate X: “There are plenty of illegal fishing boats around here. I can see them everywhere I look. – If you are Somali journalists, you may come, of course.”

Assistant: “I hope we can trust that, we’ll get there.”

Pirate X: “We want to show the world that, there are pirates on both sides here. You can come to film.”

VO: Eyl is a small town on the Puntland coast. It has less than 3.000 inhabitants, but its’ place in Somalian history is important. This house was the base of freedom fighter Abdullah Mohamed Hassan, when he took on the Italian colonial forces in the 1930’s.

Aasha Mohamed, local poet: “Eyl is a special place. It is a beautiful old town with a good reputation. All old well-educated Somalians came from here. Eyl is like our own mother.”

(At the schoolyard, schoolboy Jabart Jamal in the picture)


Abdalle Saalim, pricipal of the Eyl high school: ”The first students graduated from this school in 1984. During the civil war the school was closed, and nobody helped with the repairs. It was reopened in 2006.”

(Boys sitting in front of the school)

Abdi, a student: ”When high school is over and we don’t find any work, we may have to do that as well.”

Wali Hashi, MOT: “You mean piracy?”

Abdi: ”Yes. What choice do we have.”

Wali Hashi (MOT), standup at the beach: ”We are at the Indian ocean. These are the most dangerous waters in the world: 90 ships have been seized in the past five years. Why?”

(Fishing boat arrives at beach, the fishermen show their catch: one fish.)

Mohamed Garsaan, fisherman: ”We took off this morning at five, and we have only got one. In better times we used to get a good catch with just one net.”

Abdihalim Mohamed, fisherman: ”The former fishermen have been split in two groups: some went ashore and started keeping animals, the others became pirates.”

Walli Hashi, MOT: ”You mean the catch is down?”

Abdihalim: ”Yes, for two reasons. One is that, foreign ships come and destroy our nets, or they just steal them and use them as their own. The other problem is that, the pollution dumped from foreign ships is killing the fish.”

VO: During the civil war uninvited guests arrived at the Somalian coast. Foreign ships dumped hazardous wastes into the sea. The poisons killed fish and caused health problems to the people living at the coast.

Abdirahman Ali, mayor of Eyl: “When the central government of Somalia was destroyed, our sea became a center for illegitimate fishing. Foreign fishing boats steal our fish and destroy the local traditional fishing business. We have no government that could interfere. All we can do is watch from the sidelines as they destroy our means of livelihood.”

Aasha Mohamed: “Eyl is a victim. It has been abused. To add insult to injury, it is now referred to as the capital of piracy.”

(Aasha Mohamed sings)
”The sea shines like gold, unfailing source of dollars.
A pleasure to the eye, our sea with ships all over.
Our area is admired by strangers as well.
Not to be belittled, but admired...”

(Wali Hashi and pirate Ali Arif walking down a street in Eyl)


VO: With the help of our assistant, we established contact with the pirates. After some negotiating we agreed on an interview with senior pirate Ali Arif. The price was fixed at 930 US dollars, about 700 euros.

Ali Arif, pirate: ”When we were fishing at sea, we met many ships. They were mostly from Asia and Europe, but there were some from the USA and Africa as well. We had our nets in the sea. Some ships pulled our nets out of the water without asking us anything; the nets cost a hundred dollars each. It was robbery. We told about this in public, but nobody helped us. Having been robbed and not getting the nets back, we had to find some solution ourselves.”

Abdihalim Mohamed, fisherman: ”They (the foreigners) rob the fish and the nets, and they kill. What are these people if not pirates?”

Arif: ”We became pirates because nobody helped us. We went out to sea and saw two ships. One of them was carrying poison (barrels) that the crew was dumping into the sea. We’ve seen all kinds of ships that come here and consider our sea as a dump for toxic waste.”

(Back to the school, the boy at the yard)

VO: Piracy has messed up our life in Eyl. Everybody knows about the millions of ransom dollars that have been paid to the pirates.

Abdalle Saalim, the principal: ”That’s why our school is for free; so that the students would not need to go into piracy. If their friends get millions from the sea, the students are under pressure to consider it.”

Jabart Jamal, schoolboy (about 13): ”I never want to become a pirate. And I don’t approve of those that are, although they have been forced into doing it, in a way.”

Wali Hashi, MOT: ”What if you study and graduate but can’t find work?”

Jabart: ”Every man has a place designated by God. Your fate is waiting for you already in your mother’s womb. – I don’t have to rob or hijack anything.”

(Boys playing soccer at schoolyard, teachers sitting in a class)

Abdulkadir Adan, teacher: ”We are really sad that, the town has become known for piracy. But the pirates operating in this area are not from here, but out of town.”

Abdalle Saalim: ”This is a very heavy burden on us, on our town and the Puntland area – and the reputation and economy of all Somalia. All over the world, especially in the Arab countries, people think that, you can’t send any help or food aid to Somalia. This is felt in people’s lives every day. But the pirates did seize ships bringing in food aid. You can just imagine how this affects everybody.”

(A woman baking pancakes at a hearth)



Basharo Buuh, mother of Jabart: ”In the morning I cook for the children, if we have something. There’s nothing to do besides trying to find some bread. – I make tea and try to sell it.”

Wali Hashi, MOT: ”So you have a small tearoom? You have enough customers?”

Basharo: ”It depends (on how many people are in town).”

(Jabart walks to a store)

Jabart: ”You’ve got a football?”


Saleswoman: “It’s 60 000 shillings.”
Jabart: ”Any bargaining possible?”
Saleswoman: ”No.”
Jabart: ”Show me that one. – Is it any good?”

(Examines the ball, blows air into it through a needle vent)
Jabart: ”When I see my mother tomorrow, she’ll give me the money.”
(Jabart goes home, shows the ball to his mother)
Basharo: ”What’s that?”
Jabart: ”I bought a ball.”


Basharo: ”Where?”
Jabart: ”From the shop.”

Basharo: ”Where did you get the money?”
Jabart: ”I told her you’d pay for it.”


Basharo: ”Play carefully. I’ll take the money down tomorrow.”

(Cut to the pirates’ flashy SUV’s on the streets in Eyl)

Arif Ali: ”If you are not a pirate, you can’t live in Puntland.”

Arif: ”Sometimes I ask Somalis who’ve lived in Europe for 20 years, how much money they make. When I tell them we can get 50.000 to 100.000 from this ship, they are astonished and say they don’t make even 20.000 (a year). - Why don’t you join us?.”

Wali Hashi, MOT: ”If I work for you how long will it take for me to get 50.000 (dollars)?”

Arif: ”If you come in March, you’ll get at least 100.000.”

Abdulkadir Adan: ”The pirates come from all over Somalia: the south, the north, the east. They cooperate with each other. They have fast boats and bosses that finance the operations.”

Wali Hashi, MOT: ”Where are these bosses?”



Abdulkadir: “All over, in Somalia and abroad.”

VO: Ali Arif and his partners used to rent a fishing boat, which they used together. About 10 years ago, foreign fishing vessels broke their nets.

Arif: ”We told the boat’s owner that, we can’t fish anymore. He suggested he’d give (rent) us guns. So we took them and speedboats, and returned to sea.”

Arif: ”When we saw ships, we left our boat and approached a freight ship with the speedboats. First, one boat approached the ship and threw ropes on board – and another one did the same on the other side. Then we climbed up and looked for the captain. – The foreigners had locked all doors, and we couldn’t get in, so we used our guns to unlock the doors. At that point, we were prepared to die.”

Arif: “We have clear rules. The first one (on board) gets the captain’s belongings. His job is also to check some facts: Where the ship is coming from, what’s its’ name, which port did it visit last? He can take everything from the captain: watches, weapons and rings. The wedding rings may be sold back, because they are important to the Westerners.”

Arif: “In the daytime we rest, when not on the ships, and in the evenings we chew khat (a local drug).”

Wali Hashi, MOT: “How’s the guarding organized?”

Arif: “I prefer not to tell about that. It’s a military secret.”

MOT: “What do the others do on board, when they are off duty?”

Arif: ”Usually they are with the hijacked seamen. They watch TV and play cards with them.”

(Return to the interview with Jabart's mother, Basharo)

Basharo Buuh: ”I’m 35, and I’ve been married to three men. – With my first husband I had one son. And then I lost him to a foreign ship that was plundering our fish.”

MOT: ”Is he dead or alive?”

Basharo: ”I don’t know.”

(The boy swimming at a pond, interview at the shore)


Jabart: ”I remember when I was small, my dad brought me here and taught me to swim. It’s those times that I come here to recall.”

(Arif and Jabart sitting in a room)

Arif: ”We were in the same operation, when this boy’s father disappeared. We attacked the robbers’ ship, and his father was one of the four first men to board it. The ship’s guard opened fire, and one of our men jumped in the sea. The boy’s father disappeared. We haven’t heard of him since.”

Basharo: ”It makes me sad to think what my life has been like. The enemy took my husband. It is hard to think about how he went away, when we don’t know.”
Arif: “I don’t want to give up the fight, because the ships killed my father too. They rammed us when we were fishing. My father died, and I was alone at sea for three nights. Fishermen saved me.”

(Arif walks away, holding a boy by the hand)

Wali Hashi asks Basharo: ”Are you afraid that, your son might become a pirate?”

Basharo: ”I hope he won’t, but I am afraid he will be dragged into it and told to take revenge on those that killed his father.”

Abdi (student at school): ”If nothing changes, this will continue from one generation to the next.”

VO: There is no central government in Somalia, but the pirates have one local enemy: foreign funded Islamists. Their organization, the al-Shabaab, strives to establish a system based on Islamic law in the country.

Arif: ”Ethiopians, infidels, and Islamists are raging in the south of the country. We pirates are at war with the islamists. We can’t stand each other.”

VO: Shopkeeper Ade Koronto is a local supporter of the Islamists.

Koronto: ”Yesterday there was an incident where a man was killed. This is quite a new phenomenon for us. It is strange that, although we’ve had civil war for 20 years, nobody has been killed in Eyl. No robberies either. This is new to us. The clan elders of the dead man and the killer have negotiated and settled the incident now. That’s very good; the deceased has been buried and the killer is being chased.”

”If they rob and kill a man on land, the criminals will be executed and their bodies displayed publicly. The bodies shall not be buried, but put on display as a warning for others. That’s the Islamic way.”

(A group of pirates sitting on the floor in a house, chewing khat)

Pirate: “Don’t film a pirate chewing khat”.

Second pirate: ”Who are you, and why are you filming?”

Another pirate: “The Asians are the worst: the Thais, the Taiwanese and those from Hong Kong. They have fought us hard, and captured at least 100 of our young men.”

Second pirate: “Who could we complain to? We could sell them the islamist from al-Ittihad.”

Pirate: “The pirates were shooting at each other today. A boy was driving a car and it went straight into the sea.”

Another pirate: ”This is soon like in Mogadishu. Shooting all the time.”

Wali Hashi, standup at a street corner: “The people are afraid. They fear the pirates, and they fear an attack from foreign powers. Hundreds are fleeing this town. But how do you tell a pirate from an ordinary person? That you can only tell at the sea.”

Arif: ”Eyl is just like Tora Bora, where Osama Bin Laden is hiding. We have also captured foreign terrorists that we plan to sell – these are fighters of the al-Shabaab, trained in Pakistan.”

Aasha Mohamed: “We are afraid of all newcomers. Even the aid agencies. It’s really hard to trust anybody anymore.”

(People gathered at a street corner)

Elderly man: ”There’s no harm in filming. Why are you afraid?”

Wali Hashi, MOT: ”You wanted to say something?”

Man: ”Yes, although I am old. This is a historical town. First we had colonial masters, then freedom fighter Abdul Hassan, and after him the Italians came back. And since then power has flip flopped from one hand to another.”

Wali Hashi, MOT: ”So is everything fine now? Who’s in charge?”

Man: ”We – who else?”

Another man shouts, out of view: ”It’s not us, it’s the pirates.”

Man: “Don’t talk crap. The pirates are not running this town. They have nothing to do with us, and they control nothing. Be honest and tell me if any of you are pirates. When you say that, nobody is a pirate, how can you say that pirates are in control.”

Aasha Mohamed: “Threats from abroad have been increasing, and it’s making people afraid. It’s Europeans and Americans that are threatening us. It is impossible to live in peace in this town anymore.”

(Return to the interview with Koronto, a messenger interrupts)

Messenger: “Are you done? – There’s a car that sped up here. Two men have shot at each other.”

Koronto: ”Were they taken to the clinic?”

Wali Hashi, MOT: ”Are they dead?”

Koronto: ”No, they are both injured, and an older man’s also been hurt. Although the pirates are into robbery, they don’t usually kill each other or outsiders. But these new pirates are from the countryside. They don’t understand the rules of the game.”

Wali Hashi, MOT: “Who are the victims?”


Koronto: “The one who died yesterday is one of the pirates that seized the ship that’s anchored over there. They have this one ship now. The pirates are cooperating, but they are all criminals. – I have to go now.”

(News footage from the sea: western warships maneuvering)

VO: Naval vessels of the EU-countries, the USA and China are now patrolling the waters around Somalia, and the great powers are cooperating to protect their commercial shipping. At the coast, rumors abound.

Ali Arif: ”I’ve just heard that, the foreigners are planning to establish bases on the Somalia coast. They are suicidal. I can promise that, in March the whole world will hear about us. Our previous operations are nothing compared to what we are planning to do.”

Arif: ”We are forced to start killing hostages, just like pirates used to do in Indonesia in the old times. Surely you know how they did it? By slashig their throats. That’s what we have to do, too, because they are taking our men, robbing us of our weapons, killing and imprisoning us.”

Arif: “I hope that, in March we can stop this whole thing. If we get a very good ransom…”

(Wali Hashi and Ali Arif in conversation)

VO: We tried to talk our way to a visit at the hijacked ship anchored outside Eyl. The pirates demanded 30.000 dollars for it. So we settled for an alternative: one pirate would take MOT’s small camcorder on board and shoot some footage without permission.

(Wobbling pictures from the hijacked “African Sanderling”, one hostage seen briefly on deck)

VO: The pirates are waiting for ransom payment for the Filipino crew of the ship, that has been held here for over two months.

Arif: “The usual way is to agree on the ransom by fax about five days before the pick-up of the crew. For western crews, English or German for example, the rate is three million dollars. That’s a rate we have fixed well in advance. If the ship is from an Islamic country like Iran, Egypt or Malaysia, we charge half of that. Now we have the Filipinos. We’d like to let them go, because they’ve cost us a lot already.”

VO: A meeting has been called to discuss the situation at the mayor’s house.

Abdirahman Ali, mayor of Eyl: ”The pirates have brought shame on us. And there is no peace anymore. You saw what happened yesterday and the day before? They have nothing to lose, they fear nothing. Eyl has lost its peace, and there is no central government that could do anything about it.”

Aamina Hassan, councilwoman: ”First, we must get rid of the illegal foreign fishing boats. If this was achieved, piracy would come to and end, as fishermen could return to their work.”

Ismail Mohamed, councilman: ”I think the solution is not in dispatching warships from abroad. Somalia must get an administration that can control the sea.”

(Jabart walking on the beach)

Wali Hashi, MOT: "Did your father tell you about the time when there was peace in Somalia?”

Jabart: “Yes, but I don’t remember anything about it. I don’t know what Somalia was like before I was born, and I don’t know what it will be like in the future.”

The End, final credits, followed by a text screen:

”The MOT crew returned to Finland on the 13th of January. On the same day the pirates released their 21 Filipino hostages from the African Sanderling.”