Somali “piracy” which began in the early 2000s is in fact Somalis effort to deter illegal dumping, fishing and pollution. It is no secret that the US (which refused to sign the ratified Basel Convention and the major exporter of toxic wastes) and some European nations prefer to use “third world” nations as dumpsites for harmful wastes that they would not bury in their own nations. Until 1995 when the Basel Convention was ratified, making it illegal to dump toxic wastes in developing nations, several “developed” nations dumped their toxic wastes in developing nations; most in Africa.