Focus anti-piracy war on land, not sea

The war against piracy off Somali waters will not be won unless more emphasis is laid on containing pirates on land before they get to the sea, a workshop on maritime safety and port security was told yesterday.

And the huge amounts of firearms being shipped to the country have continued to fan piracy despite an international campaign to eradicate the vice, military advisor at the United Nations Political Office on Somalia (UNOPS) Col Victor Gamor said.

The colonel, who was making his presentation during the workshop organized by the Ports Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA) at Nyali beach hotel said there were 5,100 foreign troops in Somali against a requirement of 8,000.

He said that the most worrying aspect of piracy is that arms from several countries were being supplied to the militias while pirates were becoming more sophisticated with the equipment and the huge sums of money paid as ransom.

“The international community should put more emphasis on addressing the root cause of piracy and a comprehensive strategy adopted in seeking to stabilize the security situation in the country,” he said.

His comments come in the wake of more ships being targeted and captured by Somali pirates despite the presence of international war ships in the Gulf of Aden, although piracy attacks have lessened over the past four months, he noted.

Southern African Development Community (SADC) secretariat Mapolao Mokoena said since piracy is a global problem that affects businesses, all countries should unite and deal with the menace.

“Reinforcing maritime security is best achieved by combining public and private maritime security activities on a global scale into an integrated effort that addresses all maritime threats,” she said.

PMAESA secretary general Jerome Ntibarekerwa said the organization had developed a program intended to address piracy and potential donors were being sought.

Participants drawn from more than 17 east and southern African countries expressed concern that pirates continued to seize commercial ships, and suggested that possibilities of either arming crew members or providing ships with armed escort should be explored.