August 2009 Egyptian hostage escape
Encyclopedia
On August 13, 2009, Egypt
ians captured by Somali pirates
and held hostage for ransom
, attacked their captors, using whatever was at their disposal before seizing weapons from the pirates. They managed to overpower their captors and reach Aden
, Yemen
, in what was described a "daring and dramatic escape."
was overthrown, plunging the country into chaos. The ensuing power vacuum, and the lack of authority in the country has resulted in a surge in piracy, which occurs along Somalia's 1,900-mile coastline, the Gulf of Aden
, and the Indian Ocean
as well, areas through which run some of the world's busiest shipping lines.
The Egyptians, fishermen working for a company called Mashreq Marine Product, were captured with their two fishing vessels, the Mumtaz 1 and Samara Ahmed, by Somali pirates in April 2009. Both vessels had permits to fish off Somali shores. Reports estimate two dozen to forty fishermen being captured by the Somali pirates. The latest and apparently most accurate figure, from Al-Ahram
, states 33 fishermen were taken hostage. Mohamed Alnahdi, executive manager of Mashreq, negotiated with the pirates for over a month, but failed to secure the fishermen's release after the pirates, originally demanding 800,000 to $1.5 million, rejected a ransom of $200,000.
. Despite being held on both ships and thus separated, the fisherman coordinated their actions against the captors, using the tools and machete
s they were able to get hold of against the pirates, before seizing their guns and using it against them. At least two pirates were killed and an unknown number wounded. There were no casualties among the Egyptians, who took control of the Momtaz 1 and Samara Ahmed and set sail for Aden
, bringing along four prisoners. Local residents saw the boats leaving Las Qorey.
reports that seven pirates washed up on Somali beaches. Other news agencies report that two pirates were killed, one was wounded and fled to safety, and eight were detained and taken to Egypt. The lack of any acknowledgment of the conflicting accounts suggests the possibility that successive news agencies republished the story without doing any original research or fact checking.
, until the ship's captain handed himself over as a hostage to save the lives of his crew. He was held hostage until freed by the United States Navy
.
The Egyptians returned safely to Yemen, ending their four-month ordeal. The Egyptian Embassy in Sana'a
offered them air travel to Egypt, but the fishermen turned down the offer, opting instead to return via their recaptured fishing vessels. They left Yemen on Friday, en route to the Ataka Port in Suez
, after turning the four prisoners to Yemeni authorities, from where they will face trial on charges of piracy either in Yemen or in Somalia, while it is unlikely that they will be turned over to Egypt. The fishermen were scheduled to arrive in Suez on August 20. In Somalia another pirate was taken into custody by police after local fishermen found him on a shore, with machete wounds on his body.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ians captured by Somali pirates
Piracy in Somalia
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
and held hostage for ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
, attacked their captors, using whatever was at their disposal before seizing weapons from the pirates. They managed to overpower their captors and reach Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
, Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, in what was described a "daring and dramatic escape."
Background
Somalia has not had an effective government since 1991, when a dictatorshipDictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
was overthrown, plunging the country into chaos. The ensuing power vacuum, and the lack of authority in the country has resulted in a surge in piracy, which occurs along Somalia's 1,900-mile coastline, the Gulf of Aden
Gulf of Aden
The Gulf of Aden is located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen, on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and Somalia in the Horn of Africa. In the northwest, it connects with the Red Sea through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait, which is about 20 miles wide....
, and the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
as well, areas through which run some of the world's busiest shipping lines.
The Egyptians, fishermen working for a company called Mashreq Marine Product, were captured with their two fishing vessels, the Mumtaz 1 and Samara Ahmed, by Somali pirates in April 2009. Both vessels had permits to fish off Somali shores. Reports estimate two dozen to forty fishermen being captured by the Somali pirates. The latest and apparently most accurate figure, from Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram
Al-Ahram , founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya . It is majority owned by the Egyptian government....
, states 33 fishermen were taken hostage. Mohamed Alnahdi, executive manager of Mashreq, negotiated with the pirates for over a month, but failed to secure the fishermen's release after the pirates, originally demanding 800,000 to $1.5 million, rejected a ransom of $200,000.
Escape
The fishermen rose against their captors on Thursday, August 13. They were being held on their vessels in Las Qorey, a pirate stronghold located on the coast in northern SomalilandSomaliland
Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
. Despite being held on both ships and thus separated, the fisherman coordinated their actions against the captors, using the tools and machete
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
s they were able to get hold of against the pirates, before seizing their guns and using it against them. At least two pirates were killed and an unknown number wounded. There were no casualties among the Egyptians, who took control of the Momtaz 1 and Samara Ahmed and set sail for Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
, bringing along four prisoners. Local residents saw the boats leaving Las Qorey.
Conflicting accounts
There have been conflicting accounts of the number of pirates killed in the struggle. Al JazeeraAl Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
reports that seven pirates washed up on Somali beaches. Other news agencies report that two pirates were killed, one was wounded and fled to safety, and eight were detained and taken to Egypt. The lack of any acknowledgment of the conflicting accounts suggests the possibility that successive news agencies republished the story without doing any original research or fact checking.
Aftermath
The incident was not unprecedented in that a hostage crew fought back against its captors. The first occurred in April, when 21 American crewmen fought against Somali pirates in what was known as the Maersk Alabama hijackingMaersk Alabama hijacking
The Maersk Alabama hijacking was a series of events involving piracy that began with four Somali pirates seizing the cargo ship southeast of the Somali port city of Eyl. This event ended with the action of 12 April 2009. It was the first successful pirate seizure of a ship registered under the...
, until the ship's captain handed himself over as a hostage to save the lives of his crew. He was held hostage until freed by the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
The Egyptians returned safely to Yemen, ending their four-month ordeal. The Egyptian Embassy in Sana'a
Sana'a
-Districts:*Al Wahdah District*As Sabain District*Assafi'yah District*At Tahrir District*Ath'thaorah District*Az'zal District*Bani Al Harith District*Ma'ain District*Old City District*Shu'aub District-Old City:...
offered them air travel to Egypt, but the fishermen turned down the offer, opting instead to return via their recaptured fishing vessels. They left Yemen on Friday, en route to the Ataka Port in Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
, after turning the four prisoners to Yemeni authorities, from where they will face trial on charges of piracy either in Yemen or in Somalia, while it is unlikely that they will be turned over to Egypt. The fishermen were scheduled to arrive in Suez on August 20. In Somalia another pirate was taken into custody by police after local fishermen found him on a shore, with machete wounds on his body.