大象传媒

大象传媒 World Service

Somalia's tragedy

Piracy has put Somalia back in the headlines.

Since the beginning of the year, Somali pirates have hijacked 25 vessels.

International naval patrols have been stepped up in the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

However, piracy is just a symptom of Somalia's many problems.

It is a country which has had no effective government since 1991 and more recently has faced a struggle between a hardline Islamist group called Al Shabab and an internationally recognised transitional government which wields little real authority.

Many people have fled the violence in Somalia and seek refuge in neighbouring Kenya, from where Peter Greste reports.

First broadcast 6 May 2009