So far this year they have raided more than 50 vessels, stealing cargos and hijacking ships, from private yachts to oil tankers, and extorting some $100 million a year in ransom.

Recently, a Ukrainian freighter carrying heavy weaponry, including tanks, was hijacked. A Greek petrochemical carrier was seized, and another attacked, as was an Iranian oil tanker. These pirates currently hold more than a dozen ships hostage in Somali ports.

Ships laden with tens of thousands of tons of maize, sorghum, split peas and cooking oil from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) and other international aid organizations must navigate these dangerous waters. Keeping Somalia's sea-borne supply line open is imperative. It carries 90 percent of the humanitarian assistance delivered by the WFP, which in turn supplies nearly 90 percent of the aid that feeds so many Somalis.

These pirate terrorists are not particularly powerful. Estimates put their number at around 1,200. But they are growing increasingly brazen, all the more so when not confronted.

Since November 2007, following a series of pirate raids, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark and France deployed naval frigates to escort WFP aid ships safely into harbor. Under their protection, not a single ship has come under attack, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of assistance.

Yet despite that clear success, the future is uncertain. The Canadian naval mission ends in late October, and no country has stepped forward to replace it. Without naval escorts, food aid will not get to Somalia. The WFP has stockpiled sufficient supplies to keep relief flowing for some days. But once those warehouses are empty, the country and its people will be on their own.

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