UN anti-crime agency to aid Somaliland to tackle piracy

[News_Editor]

UN anti-crime agency to aid Somaliland to tackle piracy

2011-03-31 05:58:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Wednesday announced that it will help Somaliland to tackle maritime piracy.

UNODC's Executive Director Yury Fedotov met with the President of Somaliland Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud and the Justice Minister Ismail Muumin to discuss UNODC's counter-piracy work in East Africa.

UNODC will assist Somaliland authorities in strengthening their capacity to prosecute captured pirates who have menaced maritime trade off the coast of Somalia for the last decade.

The UN anti-crime office will also look into ways of addressing the underlying causes of piracy. Fedotov remarked that his office has similar commitments in neighboring Puntland and Somalia on prison and judicial reform.

"Critical to the success of fighting piracy is ensuring that judicial provisions on land are in place. UNODC are working with Somaliland in their judicial reform process and prosecution services in a bid to step up responses," said Fedotov.

There are an estimated 350 suspects and convicted pirates held in Somaliland and Puntland and effective prosecutorial and prison services are needed. Fedotov also highlighted that piracy has a significant negative impact to both to maritime trade and travel and to local development.

In addition, Fedotov visited the Hargeisa Prison in Somaliland, which was officially opened in November last year as part of UNODC's counter-piracy work in Somaliland. The prison is critical to the country's efforts against piracy and provides additional space for pirates arrested by the Coast Guard and convicts tried in other courts.

"The shift in approach by authorities to supplement incarceration with skills development and rehabilitation is critical. This level of prison reform will assist in tackling the long-term goal of dealing with piracy and UNODC are glad to be able to be part of this process," added Fedotov.

The UNODC anti-piracy initiatives in the Horn of Africa are in response to growing global concern over the rising number of ship hijackings in the Indian Ocean. Piracy also affects shipping off the coast of Somalia, the Gulf of Aden and further into the Red Sea.

While the period between 2000 and 2007 saw an average 26 acts of reported piracy per year off the coast of Somalia, the number jumped to 111 in 2008 and quadrupled to more than 400 in 2009 and 2010. In 2010 alone, approximately 790 sailors were taken hostage.

Overall, Somali pirates have hijacked hundreds of ships, taking in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom. Ships are patrolling the shipping lanes near Somalia in an effort to reduce hijackings, but the anti-piracy force has warned that attacks are likely to continue.

According to a recent study, maritime piracy cost the global economy up to $12 billion last year, with Somalia-based pirates responsible for 95 percent of the costs.

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