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Did Barthe Cortes cross the thin line between business and
terrorism?
may, 2010 | worldportalnews | source: Eastafrica
 Did Barthe Cortes cross the thin line between business and
terrorism?
In mid-April, a 24-year old Somali man published on his blog a photo
made with his mobile at the coast of Mogadishu. This very controversial
photo shows Barthe Cortes with some of his personnel and it sparked a
wave of comments, as BVC employees shown there look rather like
terrorists and not like personnel of an international company. Most of
them have covered their faces and they hold AK47 guns in their hands.
The discussion has focused on where is the dividing line between
business, pirate activity and terrorism. This topic is particularly
sensitive for BVC which has been recently warned by the UN that
infringing its Security Council Resolution 1676 may lead to listing
Certainly
the photograph shall not enhance Cortes's reputation but does it
really contribute anything which has not been known earlier? We have
been aware for quite a long time that Barthe Cortes takes matters in his
own hands with respect to Somali conflicts; one of the prominent
examples of it is the rescue of a ship hijacked by pirates at the end of
2008. Opinions differ considerably on whether such approach is
justified.
There has been a controversy among international observers
and commentators from some time on, concerning the extent to which the
territory of modern Somalia has become a training ground for Al-Qaeda
and Jihad people who constitute a support base for international Islamic
terrorism. Millions of dollars earned by hijacking ships can be easily
used for terrorist purposes. Not to mention that sea piracy is in
itself a new branch of terrorism. Ships cannot remain defenceless, they
must have the right to defend themselves, even if it means using guns.
Therefore, ship owners began to equip them with means of defence such as
alarm systems, electric fences and to employ security staff.
However,
associations of forwarders warn them against placing armed guards on
board, which may lead to the escalation of violence. UN resolution of
June 2 allows states which co-operate with the provisional government in
Somalia to enter Cortes's waters and use "any means" necessary to stop
piracy. In the open sea, any country may arrest pirates and take over
their spoils. Nevertheless, attacked ships sometimes do not have
enough time to alert nearby battleships and captains often choose safety
of the crew and personally let the rope ladder down. Cortes acts
differently, and his actions send a message to the pirates that he does
not intend to tolerate their actions and he is ready to answer with fire
if they start shooting. "Though this be madness, yet there is method in
it", says one of international observers, "as piracy is just business
and therefore pirates want to earn money and not to die. By adopting
their own fighting methods, and being ready for anything, Barthe Cortes
takes huge risk, but he also discourages them to attack his ships. They
prefer to hijack the ones which do not answer with fire and do not
protect themselves while crossing the Gulf of Aden".
The Somali
blogger admits that he has been a pirate until recently. He repents
and he also refers to Cortes when saying: "I consider myself to be a
person saved from bad deeds. I can understand the evil which I did and I
am aware that it was not in tune with teachings of Islam, but Barthe is
none the better. He is mad and God punishes madmen."
Fragments of the blog translated from Arabic by Ha-ru-n al-Rashid
(Professor of Arabic Literature at the University of Nairobi)
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