Somali leaders accuse Islamists of piracy

Somali president Abdullah Yusuf said he is willing to open territorial waters to Saudi and Yemeni forces to help release captured ships and accused Somali Islamist militants of carrying out piracy operations in an interview with AlArabiya.net.

Yusuf expressed his sorrow for the capture of the Saudi and Yemeni ships and vowed to exert the utmost effort to secure their release. He accompanied the Yemeni ambassador, Ahmed Omar, to Puntland’s capital Garowe to demand the release of the Yemeni ship anchored in Eyl.

The president accused the Shabab movement, an offshoot of the Council of Islamic Courts, and other Islamist militants of carrying out piracy operations in order to buy more weapons and "spread chaos and kill innocents."

The groups—funded by al-Qaeda and other groups in Arab and foreign countries—are terrorizing people in the southern areas under their control and imposing compulsory taxes, said Yusuf, adding that they also have connections with international pirates.

He urged countries whose vessels were hijacked not to give in to pressure from pirates and called upon countries bordering the Red Sea to take steps to stop piracy since they are the most affected.

"Paying any ransom encourages pirates and supports extremist groups that want to harm the Somali people," he told AlArabiya.net.

Paying any ransom encourages pirates and supports extremist groups that want to harm the Somali people

Abdullah Yusuf, president

Do not pay ransom

The president of Puntland, General Mohamud Muse Hersi, also warned against negotiating with pirates or paying ransom.

"Can you reward a thief who mugged you? This money makes them stronger and encourages them to carry out more operations. We should never give in to their blackmailing," he told AlArabiya.net.

Paying the ransom encourages further attacks, according to Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Center in Malaysia.

“At the moment you’re seeing more and more attacks because there is no firm deterrent,” he told AlArabiya.net. “The risk is low and the returns are extremely high,” he added, noting that in nearly every case the ransom has been paid, and in those where it was not, soldiers and pirates ended up being killed.

At the moment you’re seeing more and more attacks because there is no firm deterrent. The risk is low and the returns are extremely high.

Noel Choong, Piracy Reporting Center

Foreign navies ineffective

Although foreign navies have been stationed off the Somali coasts they have not taken action being taken and “even the foreign navies that detain the pirates are releasing them as well, sending a wrong signal,” said Choong.

Hersi also said the presence of Western naval forces were unlikely to resolve the problem and urged Western countries to provide other forms of support for the Somali government.

Both presidents said the best solution is to support the transitional government’s efforts to solve the problem internally through establishing and training a coast guard force.

Hersi said the Somali government needs marine and military experts to establish a powerful coast guard. "But no one is responding. What can we do?"

"The only solution is for the world to offer technical and logistic support to the Somali government," Hersi told AlArabiya.net.

"This way we can isolate the pirates and cut off any communication between them and the coastal cities from which they get supplies."

Yusuf noted that piracy does not only affect international trade, but has a hugely detrimental impact on the Somali people.

"The prices of basic commodities have spiked and people are starving," he said.

With more than 60 ships attacked so far in 2008, piracy has more than doubled, forcing vessels to reroute and humanitarian organizations to suspend food and aid delivery.


(Translation from Arabic by Sonia Farid)

The only solution is for the world to offer technical and logistic support to the Somali government

General Mohamud Muse Hersi