Representatives of a host of states and international organizations are meeting in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa this week to discuss the scourge of the seas – modern-day piracy. The gathering, organized by the International Maritime Organization, aims to reach “a regional agreement to assist countries in the region to build capacity to suppress piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.” The waters around Somalia are the focus of attention, but the operations of the pirates have spread in recent months to include parts of the Indian Ocean of the African coast. IMO secretary-general Efthimios Mitropoulos led the calls for the Somali government to increase its law and order measures to reduce the pirates’ abilities. It is also widely believed in the international community that a stable Somalia, with a normative economy, would allow the pirates to find real jobs instead of turning to crime.