Information on Persons Listed in the Annex to E.O. 13536 of April 12, 2010

BOYAH has been described as “a key organizer, recruiter, financier and commander of a maritime militia consisting of approximately 500 operating pirates, with responsibility for hijacking between 25 and 60 shipping vessels since the mid-1990s.”


In an April 2009 article on Somali piracy in the UK’s The Times, “Boyah” calls himself “chairman” of approximately 500 pirates operating as a “loose confederation” in the Eyl area. BOYAH is described as “a key organizer, recruiter, financier and mission commander” and the article recounts his claim that “all applicants for the position of Pirate (Eyl Division) must come to him.” BOYAH recounted hijackings with which he was involved, including the Japanese chemical tanker Golden Nori, in October 2007, which involved a stand-off with U.S. Navy vessels but eventually yielded a $1.5 million ransom off the coast of Somalia. The BBC News corroborates that the Golden Nori was a Japanese chemical tanker hijacked in late October 2007 that was involved in a stand-off with the U.S. Navy. The reporting states that the pirates demanded a $1 million ransom.Read More