The story

Recent headlines focusing on the rash of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia should instead focus on the humanitarian crisis driving Somalis to commit crimes on the high seas, an international aid group said Thursday.

An estimated one-third of Somalia's population desperately needs emergency aid, the international agency Oxfam said, as donors to Somalia met in Brussels, Belgium.

"Without economic opportunities offering alternatives to criminality, and without law and order to curb these activities, then the massive economic returns of hijacking ships will continue to drive piracy," Robert Maletta, policy adviser for Oxfam, said in a news release. Read full article »

All About Pirates • Gulf of Aden • Somalia