Book
The Pirates of Somalia (2011) by Jay Bahadur: inside the pirate world of Puntland
The Pirates of Somalia: Inside Their Hidden World is a 2011 book by the Canadian journalist Jay Bahadur, who spent several months in Puntland around 2009 interviewing pirates, their backers and officials. Much of it centres on Boyah, a pirate leader from Eyl. Reviewers praised its access and some criticised its errors.
The Pirates of Somalia
- Author
- Jay Bahadur
- Year
- 2011
- Language
- English
- Sources
- 8 sources
The book
The Pirates of Somalia: Inside Their Hidden World is a book by the Canadian journalist Jay Bahadur, published in 2011. A UK edition appeared as Deadly Waters: Inside the Hidden World of Somalia's Pirates (The National; Open Library).
What it covers
Bahadur spent several months living in Puntland, the north-eastern Somali state, where many of the pirate groups of the late 2000s were based (NPR; The National). He interviewed pirates, financiers, officials and people in coastal towns about how hijackings were organised, paid for and ended with ransoms (NPR).
The book's main figure is Boyah, a pirate leader from the coastal town of Eyl, who told Bahadur he had turned away from piracy; at the time of a 2011 NPR interview Boyah was in prison (The New Republic; NPR). Bahadur reported that Eyl was poor and had none of the "pirate mansions" that some reports described (Going Sub-Saharan, review). Puntland is covered on Puntland.
How it was received
- Joshua Hammer, in the New York Times Book Review, wrote that Bahadur debunks myths about the roots and practices of Somali pirates (Barnes and Noble, quoting the review).
- The New Republic called it engaging but flawed, and pointed to factual errors, including a wrong date for the civil war (The New Republic).
- The National (Abu Dhabi) wrote that, although Bahadur got inside the pirates' world, he did not give a vivid picture of what was happening there (The National).
Later academic books on Somali piracy include Jatin Dua's Captured at Sea (2019) and Awet Weldemichael's Piracy in Somalia (2019), listed on Books about Somalis since 2006.
Where to read it
- In a library: WorldCat
Related pages
Sources
- The National · thenationalnews.com
- Open Library · openlibrary.org
- NPR · npr.org
- The National · thenationalnews.com
- The New Republic · newrepublic.com
- Going Sub-Saharan, review · goingsubsaharan.blogspot.com
- Barnes and Noble, quoting the review · valsec.barnesandnoble.com
- WorldCat · search.worldcat.org
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Where this matters
- Boosaaso (Bosaso) and BariBari is Puntland's north-east region, with the port city of Bosaso (Boosaaso) as its capital and about 1.28 million people.
- Garoowe (Garowe) and NugaalNugaal is the region around Garoowe (Garowe), Puntland's capital, with about 656,910 people in three districts.
- Gaalkacyo (Galkayo) and MudugMudug is a region of central Somalia with about 1.5 million people, split between Puntland in the north and Galmudug in the south.
Same era
- Australia18,401 people of Somali ancestry and 8,101 born in Somalia lived in Australia at the 2021 Census, more than half in Victoria. History, work, issues.
- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
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