Puntland and UK Government anti-piracy policy

[kingofkings]

 

Having been in Puntland recently, it was very interesting to hear Henry Bellingham, Minister for Africa, talk about his visits to Puntland and that country’s cooperation with the UK Government, at a Parliamentary debate: ” Where next for UK policy on Somali Pirates” 13/12/11, Committee Room 9.

Members of the panel for this debate were Henry Bellingham MP, Michael Parker, President of the Chamber of Shipping and Graeme Henderson, Managing Director for SHELL. In the audience, we saw Lord West (former first sea lord, appointed by Gordon Brown PM), John Speller MP shadow Minister for Transport, Eric Joyce MP Chair of Great Lakes Africa APPG and Mark Brownrigg, Director General, Chamber of Shipping.

 

Henry Bellingham started by reminding us of a few statistics: 23,000 ships in GoA carrying $952 billion in cargo per annum. Piracy costs $10-12 billion per annum and $274 million has been paid out to date for ransoms while 17 ships and 400 hostages are s still held in Somalia. He also mentioned that there had been some success in that 1000 pirates have been captured and held in 20 countries inc USA. The social costs of piracy were highlighted by Michael Parker and Graeme Henderson (see more on this subject in this excellent You tube clip from Save our Seafarers) 66 seamen have been killed by ruthless pirates. The main concern for CoS is shrinking naval support in the Gulf of Aden and a growing reliance on private security.

 

While the UK supports robust military actions and private armed guards on ships, it is also working hard to improve prisioner transfers from Kenya, Seychelles and Tanzania. The UK govt is taking special interest in supporting the good work of the Puntland government in small fishing communities along the north coast of Somalia to deny pirates a base to operate from. The UK govt knows that long term damage is being done by pirates to Somalia and other East African countries who want to use sea trade to develop their economies.

 

 

Meeting the Puntland Minister for Security, General Kale Isse Mudan on a ship in Bosasso port, 01/12/11.

 

Puntland is working hard to build stability in its government; you can see this first hand in Bosasso port where more ships now visit and more cargo is offloaded unimpeded. But it is not enough and more trade with more economically developed countries is needed so that more can be invested in Puntland ports and their anti-piracy police force. Private security firms like Britannia Maritime Security can be of significant help in giving confidence to ships that want to visit Puntland coastal waters and ports like Bosasso. Ships that go their will find the Puntland authorities most supportive of Private Security Companys. In this way the government can build both it’s anti-piracy police force and it’s program to reeducate coastal communities about the damage piracy causes.Henry Bellingham also reminded us of David Cameron’s commitment to help Puntland and fix the piracy problem in the Gulf of Aden. A UK delegation has now been to Mogudishu to speak with President Sharif Shieikh Ahmed to lay the ground work for further discussions to take place on the 23rd February with UK Government at a ‘Somalia Conference’ in London. Don’t miss it.

[kingofkings]

TRENGTHENING UK`S RELATIONSHIP WITH PUNTLAND STATE OF SOMALIA

UK Government News

 

Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham with Stephen O`Brien, Minister for International Development meeting President Abdirahman Mohamud Farole of Puntland in London. This photo belongs to Foreign and Commonwealth Office`s photos

 

LONDON-- The United Kingdom Foreign & Commonwealth Office issued the following press release:

 

Minister for Africa Henry Bellingham, and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development Stephen O`Brien met the President of the Puntland State of Somalia on 17 October.

 

This is the President`s first visit to the UK in an official capacity. Speaking after their meeting, Minister for Africa Henry Bellingham said:

 

“We are pleased to welcome President Farole to London. The UK is developing a useful dialogue with the Puntland State of Somalia on matters of mutual interest, such as piracy.

 

“We particularly welcome Puntland`s agreement with the Government of Seychelles to allow post-trial transfer of sentenced pirates to Puntland. Puntland is making efforts to strengthen its democracy, and we applaud the recent appointment of an Electoral Commissioner.”

 

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development Stephen O`Brien added:

 

“We also discussed UK development assistance, which is focussed on healthcare, governance and job creation. We look forward to continuing our development partnership with Puntland.”

 

 

Britain was urged today by the President of Puntland to help the strategically vital region of northeast Somalia to combat piracy off the Horn of Africa and stem the flow of insurgents heading towards Yemen to swell the ranks of al-Qaeda.

 

President Abdirahaman Mohamed Farole was speaking to The Times as Kenyan troops pushed deeper into southern Somalia, chasing militants from al-Shabaab, the group that is held responsible for a spate of kidnappings. The latest victim was a 66-year-old quadriplegic French woman who was snatched from a northern Kenyan island resort and taken to Somalia. Her death was announced today.

 

“I absolutely support the Kenyan move, their vital interests have been affected,” said the President in an interview in London. But the effect of the military incursion was to compound a disturbing trend: al-Shabaab driven southwards and into mountain hideouts by President Farole`s forces last year are making their way north again, partly because of the famine in the south.

 

“Some of them are determined to cross the water and exploit the chaos in Yemen,” he said. Al-Shabaab has been linked to the very active al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula grouping. In the past arms have been transported from al-Qaeda in Yemen to their Somali offshoot; now the movement is in the opposite direction with Somali fighters hoping to make a living as insurgents-for-hire in Yemen, where president Ali Abdullah Saleh is struggling to cling on to power.

 

President Farole said some of the al-Shabaab supporters had infiltrated the 400,000 refugees displaced from southern Somalia by the famine.

 

“The chronic violence of southern Somalia has had a spillover effect to other parts of Somalia, primarily Puntland where terrorist groups have committed targeted killings and bomb attacks on prominent members of society,” said the President.

 

Puntland has its own armed force of 5,000 soldiers and 2,000 police - “all receiving their salaries on time” said one presidential aide - but this is being stretched because of the parallel military challenge of controlling piracy. About 240 pirates are presently in Puntland prisons but still only a fraction of the 5,000 Somalis said to work as pirates. Pirates reportedly pay al-Shabaab between 10 and 50 per cent of their ransoms as a form of levy and have been used to smuggle arms and jihadists.

 

“We want to see British support on the diplomatic, security and development levels, “ said the President who has held talks with Henry Bellingham, parliamentary undersecretary of state at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and with Foreign Office officials. The main ambition of the Puntland leadership is to persuade Britain and the US to put pressure on the United Arab Emirates to resume its funding of a maritime police force that would patrol the waters around the Horn of Africa.

 

“Puntland constitutes a buffer zone for regional security and stability,” said the President. “It is deserving of strengthening support for its security.”