How can the story of countless human tragedies in Somalia be told

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/human-tide-of-misery-flees-the-anarchy-of-somalia-1669948.html

The Somali pirates hijackings and the media frenzy

Piracy is not something unique to the Somali coast or the waters off the Horn of Africa. It happens in other areas namely in South Asia, including in the Malacca’s as well as in the West coast of Africa. The frenzy in the US media last week during the wake of the Maersk Alabama hijacking was amazing...all reporting on this event stirred up all kinds of American national outrage. You couldn't turn on any news or current affairs channel without hearing calls for full-blown attack on these "Thugs of the seas" "Scourge of the earth",” Maritime gangsters" etc. Being a passive spectator in all of these, I wondered what Somalis who have connections or who know of these Pirates or who happen to be from the Pirate areas in Puntland/ NE Somalia thought of these off-the-cuff verbal aggressions. I felt and remained ambivalent as to what these media stirred-aggressions and subtle animosities towards an all elusive Somali enemy would achieve.

Most people were in agreement that taking hostage of someone who gave himself up in goodwill was utterly wrong...there is no compassion in that. Besides it was the Somali Pirates who reneged on the agreement they made with the ship's crew in exchange of the Captain with the pirate they captured.This showed the stupidity of the Pirates if not their cruelty. Nonetheless the constant mentioning of Somali this and Somali that; Somalia being failed state and the Somali anarchy and Somalia's being a barren, ungovernable piece of 'dirt' really made me mad. Ok! Ok! We Somalis are a failed nation state but America of all countries has no right whatsoever to bad-mouth Somalia’s tragedies. Let us not forget after all that America's previous administrations were the main culprits in the story of what went wrong in this piece of geographical space called "Somalia". What do you think?

It was surprising though, to see the lack of response on the part of the Somalis (wherever they happen to be). I was yet to hear or read about any positive or negative viewpoint on the rescue of Captain Philip by the US Navy from any group of Somalis.... what was that silence about! Must mention though the rare comments made by the Somali-born professor at Rutgers University (Said Samatar) on CNN on Saturday 11th of April 09. I thought when he was first introduced that he would really give us an interesting insider account of the Pirates operations, but to my disappointment he seemed to be regurgitating old/out-dated news that was intermingled with his partial Somali-political viewpoints, which of-course stems from Puntland clan-affinity.

I believe that the story of the Somali Pirates is one of myriad number of tragedies that make up the present-day picture of that country. It's a symptom in combination of lack of governance, poverty, never-ending clan wars, Warlordism, Islamic extremism and broken-society. It's a country where the most misfortune group of people on earth lives. The story of Somalia is haunting and really following me everywhere I go to find peace and tranquility. I left there in 1991 when the onset of the first catastrophes of the Civil-war began, lived abroad since then: in Europe for 16 years and then changed residence to the Northwest. Yet regardless of how much I try to ignore events in Somalia, there is a magnet that pulls me right back at it all the time. Although I don't know how to rationalize such attraction I am nonetheless cognizant of this weakness which I have towards this anarchic land.