Down and Out in Nairobi: Somali Pirates in Retirement

Who profits from piracy in Somalia these days? Not the men who do the dirty work

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MOHAMED DAHIR / AFP / Getty Images

An armed pirate looks at a cargo ship anchored offshore in northeastern Somalia

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Most pirates can only dream of hitting it big. Mohamed, another pirate I meet in Nairobi, is there for a few days, he says, to check on his employer's investments. Wearing a cheap charcoal suit and dirty fake-leather shoes, this father of eight clearly doesn't make a lot from piracy. He is vague about his boss's investments and says they might be cheap hotels or small stalls selling clothes. Mohamed got across the border from Somalia by paying someone to hide him in the back of a truck. "I'm not happy with it, but since I have no education, I have no choice," he says. "If I had another choice, I'd do it, but this is the only job I know. If you tell me now you want to hire me, I'll work for you."

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