PIRACY IN REGION
Piracy has existed in
Between six and 10 gunmen in small fishing boats known as Volvos (because of their engines) and equipped with automatic rifles and rocket propelled grenades wander offshore in search of any vessel they can find.
Sometimes ships unloading their cargo are attacked as they have to anchor 500m from the shore, with dozens of small boats and maybe 100 porters traveling back and forth, slowly unloading the goods.
This creates the possibility of gunmen sneaking through among the porters with their guns hidden - as happened with the World Food Program chartered ship hijacked from the
Long coastline - See Pirate Areas (8), (19) & (4).
Despite successive warnings by maritime authorities on the dangers of Somali waters, some ships continue to sail close to the coast in order to trade commercial goods and deliver humanitarian aid to the country.
Pirates used to concentrate their attacks on foreign fishing vessels under the pretext of fighting illegal fishing.
We had serious arguments with the hijackers but after a while we managed to persuade them that they shouldn’t risk their lives and jeopardize humanitarian aid
Abdullahi Halaneh Dhuhulow, negotiator
Lately they seem to have become more daring, venturing into the deep international waters up to 180 miles off the coast and even hijacking international aid ships.
As well as piracy and illegal fishing, there are also allegations that some countries and firms use
Anwar Sadiqi, the chief engineer of a vessel chartered by aid agency Care-International to deliver food aid to Marka says he cannot do much to stop the ship being hijacked.
"We put watchmen with binoculars and walkie-talkies on the corners of the ship to see the pirates from distance but, that’s all," he said.
"We prepare for safe surrender and then in the meantime tell our office that we’re under attack. We’re not armed, so what can we do?"
Local pirates
The WFP’s Leo Van Der Velden is worried that it is now becoming more difficult to find ships willing to sail down
Bravo district commissioner Abdullahi Halaneh Dhuhulow was the chief negotiator for the hijacked WFP ship and says it was hard going before in the end, its release was secured.
Pending Pirate Security
Top Cat Marine Security of the USA and President Abdullahi Yusuf of Somalia have reach a US$50,000,000 agreement to establish new Somalia Coast Guard and Security Force for the Somalia coastline.
There is some suggestion that the US authorities have issued a cease and desist order on the Somalia contract. Further inquiries from our military intelligence source is that a company that builds boats identical to Top Cat’s seems to have set up shop in Panama -- home of the impenetrable corporate veil! Could this be Top Cat Marine Security under a new name, circumventing a cease and desist order from the US Department of State?
Time will tell what is the true picture. It is hoped that something is done to legally curb the pirates in the area.
PS: See up-date below in HAFZA News:
Somali pirate demands release of US-captured comrades
27 Jan 2006 14:03:24 GMT
By Mohamed Ali Bile
MOGADISHU, Jan 27 (Reuters) - A Somali pirate has demanded the release of "comrades" captured by the U.S. Navy last week, threatening to kill hostages in the future if the call was not heeded, according to media reports on Friday.
Acting on a report of an attempted attack, U.S. Navy sailors pursued and caught a ship near Mogadishu with 10 Somali pirates on board and 16 Indians believed to be hostages.
"The Americans should release the 10 men they are holding," said Garaad Mohamud Mohamed, who told Shabeelle radio he was speaking on behalf of the captured pirates.
"If they don’t we will kill any hostages we capture and attack any ships unlawfully plying our waters."
Two Somali ministers dismissed Mohamed’s threat saying the latest arrests were part of a government plan to fight piracy along Somalia’s long coastline.
"We don’t recognise him. He cannot do anything," Information Minister Hayr told Reuters in Nairobi.
"The government is aware of the arrests and is coordinating with the Americans on this matter."
Piracy has become endemic in the unpatrolled waters off the coast of lawless Somalia, where dozens of hijackings and attempted seizures have been reported since mid-March.
The wave of attacks has badly shaken merchant shipping which relies heavily on key international trade routes that snake down Somalia’s coastline -- Africa’s longest. The attacks have also hampered efforts to get aid to Somalia.
In November, the Somali government signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with a U.S. marine security firm in a bid to end piracy.
Somalia collapsed into anarchy in 1991 when rival warlords overthrew military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. Many militias controlled by powerful warlords smuggle drugs, weapons and people by road, sea and air around the region, experts say.
Piracy is a lucrative and increasingly popular offshoot of this illicit trade. (Additional reporting by Guled Mohamed in Nairobi)
Source: Reuters
Up date of international help with pirates put on notice. Here
