The Role of Famine in Piracy off the Somali Coast: A Study on the Drought and Famine of 2011

The surge in pirate attacks attributed to Somali pirates in 2010 and 2011 was recently the biggest and largely unforeseen by the international community. Albeit pirate activity already characterized the region, its marked increase shifted the piracy epicenter away from the Malacca Strait and caused disruption to international trade passing through the Gulf of Aden. Simultaneously, the harshest drought in decades affected the Horn of Africa. Its impact led the UN to declare a famine in Somalia in 2011. This article uses data from the International Maritime Bureau and the Food and Agriculture Organization to investigate the existence of a relationship between the drought that affected the country in late 2010 and the observed criminal activity at sea. While maritime piracy occurs off the coast, investigating its possible roots on the territory is insightful. This article discusses the phenomenon of Piracy off the Somali coast, its historical background and its implication for the country's future. It looks critically at the hypothesis that the drought and the lesser harvests that followed worsened food and income insecurity for many individuals, choosing piracy as an option to cope with the economic shock.