Yusuf condemns pirates

2008-10-01 20:20

Mogadishu - Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed on Wednesday sought all-round help to combat piracy off his country's coastline, saying it was further stifling the war-riven country's battered economy.

"I condemn the pirates, who are undermining trade and international maritime traffic off the Somali coast," Yusuf said at a news conference convened for the Eid al-Fitr feast, marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

"They are imposing an embargo on the Somali people and the international community because they are blocking movement between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, which affects not only Somalia, but the whole world," Yusuf said.

Pirates have hijacked about 60 ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean this year alone. They sometimes hold the vessels for weeks and release them when large ransoms have been paid.

Bases on shore

The seizure last week of a Ukrainian cargo ship carrying tanks has attracted further international attention on piracy off Somalia, whose waters command access to a route through which around 30% of the world's oil transits.

"We must do everything we can to stop piracy off the coast of Somalia. They (the pirates) have agents and offices on the ground where they bring their ransom money and I believe that some of us work with them," he said.

"I call on the Somali people to fight against the pirates. I also call on the international community to act quickly on what is happening in Somali waters as well as on shore," Yusuf said.

Western navies have dispatched more warships to patrol the area.

A UN draft resolution aimed at further stemming rampant piracy is being circulated.

Piracy combined with a blockade enforced by Islamist militia on Mogadishu airport and near impossible land trade due to ongoing violence have further isolated Somalia. The country has been described by the UN as one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters.

- AFP