Somali pirates are reported to have received a total of $12.3m (£7.6m) in ransom money to release two ships. They are believed to have been paid a record $9.5m (£5.8m) for Samho Dream, a South Korean oil tanker, and nearly $2.8m (£1.7m) for the Golden Blessing, a Singaporean flagged ship. "We are now counting our cash," a pirate who gave his name as Hussein told Reuters news agency. "Soon we shall get down from the ship." All crew are believed to be unharmed. The Samho Dream supertanker was hijacked in the Indian Ocean in April and its crew of five South Koreans and 19 Filipinos were taken hostage. It was carrying crude oil worth $170m (£105m) from Iraq to the US. Although released it is still within Somali waters and the ship's 24 crew members are said to be in good condition. Andrew Mwangura, co-ordinator of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme in Mombasa, told Reuters that the ransom would be the highest paid out to pirates since they started hijacking ships in recent years. "They initially demanded $20m. What I can confirm is that negotiators tell me they agreed to make the drop with an amount in excess of $9m. "This would be the highest sum paid out to pirates so far," he said. The BBC's Kevin Mwachiro in Nairobi says the size of the payment is likely to change the rules of engagement when it comes to securing the release of ships held by Somali pirates. They are currently holding at least 25 vessels. Earlier reports said the pirates had received $9m for Samho Dream and $7m for the Golden Blessing, but this was later revised. The Golden Blessing has 23 Chinese crew. According to a recent report by the International Maritime Bureau, a maritime watchdog, ship hijackings hit a five-year high in the first nine months of 2010, with Somali pirates responsible for the majority. BBC

anagana wali geel aan ceerinoonaa.

Dr. Amina Mohamed, Dr. Hawa Abdi and Dr. Deqo Mohamed

Rubbish!

LooooooooooL@naturalized Puntlander-inaa Ililaahi qabiil la,iska sheego. Xaaji....There are more Hmong than Somalis, let alone "Puntlanders".

^Noted-thanks for the recommendation. I understand her new book is coming out next year. Polman on Daily Show

^LoooooooooooooooooooooL.....abkoo axmed bas hee duqa, I even agree with MMA Barakaat had bigger share of the market till Bush's war on terror shut them down. P.S. MMA, Barakaat had their hand in a lot other things and businesses. PSS Politicizing business enterprises is bad idea and won't serve anybody.

I just finished reading this.I recommend it for anyone that wants to know how aid contributes to conflicts in the world and in Africa particular,and how aid organizations become unwilling or involuntary party to the conflict, far from being neutral as expressed in ICRC code of conduct! Taleexi please read

^Rageh was spot on but you think him being Somali renders him less reliable-I would recommend you read the Crisis Caravan by Linda Polman !

^There needs to be devolution of power-highly centralized government with Mogadishu in firm control of everything is not option.

same guy on SNL This is spot on.

Will Ferrel and his Landlady

They should put these guys on exercise regiment.

Nina.....Soon they will us we call Dhuusomareeb duusomareeb.Oo Qowdhan hadii laba daqiiqad lasheekeysatid madax xanuun aas ku qabanaaya carabkana muruq aas kaagalaaya.

Originally posted by Libaahe*: Well Atleast Siilaanyo is the first somali leader for a while to not go to addis straight but to another Somali nation (Djibouti) compared to sheikh dalxis & faroole who straight away went to addis when they got elected. Atleast you have some appreciation for the predicaments Somalis find themselves. LoooL@Nina..balayaa nagu wada habsatey

Seriously---? You couldn't leave it as him being a Somali?

Originally posted by Suldaanka: That is what Qabiil-based regional governments end up to - breaking into mini-me qabiil lands. A case of the pot calling the kettle black.

You mean she wasn't a Muslim-dam it

^There's no such thing called soolian in Somali or English. Adaa waalan-miyirka in lagugo soo celiyo waaye ama mingis kuhaya lagaa tumo.

^Magaca dadka ha,uga ciyaarin qandho xuumoo fildaraney.

LoooooooooooL@Duke

What f*ck is Soolian?

Originally posted by Xaji_Xunjuf: quote:Originally posted by RedSea: so u can't say 'widhwidh' but you're Abwaan. funnyyyy Koonfuriansku xarfaha qaar ma karran. wa wax naturkooda ku beeraan. Aduunyo Q@ldaan wiririf meeshaan qararac nalasoo fareestey.

Fellas, curb your emotions and dig a little deeper analytically-so it's only Amistad that's looking this objectively.