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Al Jazeera English – Africa – ‘Toxic waste’ behind Somali piracy

‘Toxic waste’ behind Somali piracy
ALJAZEERA.NET October 10, 2008 By Najad Abdullahi Somali pirates have accused European firms of dumping toxic waste off the Somali coast and are demanding an $8bn ransom for the return of a Ukranian ship they captured, saying the money will go towards cleaning up the waste…………………………..

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

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. …………………………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………………………and there are hospital wastes, chemical wastes – you name it.”

Al Jazeera English – Africa – ‘Toxic waste’ behind Somali piracy

Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium

October 10, 2008 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | wastes