MOST SOMALI COASTS PIRACY FREE

With the departure of MV HANSA STAVANGER from the central Somali coast, there is no hi-jacked vessel kept at the coasts of Galmudug State in Central Somalia by today. Former Governor Dr. Maxamed Warsame (Cali Kimiko) had vowed to make the coast pirate-free and Somalia's Special Envoy for Anti-Piracy Ismail Haji Noor followed up on this.

Since the Al-Shabaab ruled southern part of Somalia - south of Mogadishu - is pirate-free since long, the relief of the Galmudug coast adds a large stretch of coastline to the area free of the piracy menace.

Though three ship are still held near Laskooray on the Gulf of Aden, these are officially not straight piracy cases, since the two Egyptian vessel were arrested for - meanwhile proven - illegal fishing and the Italian tugboat with two mysterious barges was arrested for alleged illegal dumping of toxic waste.

Somalia's pirate coast therefore stretches in the moment just south of the very tip of the Horn of Africa in Puntland on the Indian Ocean side from Garacad to Eyl.

Though this development is a very positive step in the right direction and was achieved mainly by Somali anti-piracy activities on the ground, despite the fact that the local governance didn't receive any outside help, it must be seen clear that mainly the weather was not favourable - during the last to month of strong south-west monsoon - for Somali pirates to go out in larger numbers in search of their prey. Also the presence of an international armada of warships, being in the area mainly for other reasons but also working against piracy, helped to avert some attacks.

ECOTERRA Intl., however cautions against too high hopes to rid Somalia of piracy, because firstly no true help has come forward - and this is a persistent picture since 1994. No assistance arrived for the Somali navy, to build up a strong coastguard or to the Somali Governance to establish the required institutional framework to counter piracy. Secondly, since the Somali population is sinking into an all-time low in terms of their livelihoods without any tangible help coming into the country, the criminal gangs of sea-shifta targeting merchant vessels will be again stronger at work in the days after the monsoon seizes to blow and the sea will be suitable for piracy attacks again, bvecause they can easily recruit followers from the destitute people. Thirdly the international armada of warships around the Horn of Africa still does absolutely nothing to curb illegal fishing by foreign vessels. Since the ships of these fish-poachers are heavily armed the EU NAVFOR, CTF 150/151 as well as NATO and other units sailing under UN mandate do actually also not follow up on their duties to stop vessels with illegal weapons on board. Only small Somali fishermen, who have to be armed against the foreign fish-poachers and sea-shifta are blown out of the water by the navies as was seen last in two incidences involving the Turkish Navy, who could not proof that the men in the Somali fishing vessel were attacking anybody.

MV HANSA STAVANGER, escorted by two German warships, will most likely only arrive during the night from Friday to Saturday in Mombasa / Kenya. The vessel is limping with a speed of only around 5 knots said the captain.

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