COLONEL Victor Gamor, the military advisor of the United Nations Political Office on Somalia says the war against piracy in Somali waters will never be won pirates are contained on land before they put to sea.
Speaking at a regional maritime forum in Mombasa on September 5, he said firearms being shipped into the country continue to support piracy, despite the international campaign to eradicate it. Gamor said there were 5,100 foreign troops in Somalia, but 8,000 were needed.
He said arms from several countries were being supplied to the militias while pirates were aquiring more sophisticated equipment and huge sums of money being paid in 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. He conceded that piracy attacks have eased over the past four months.
The Southern African Development Community secretary, Mapolao Mokoena told the forum that since piracy is a global problem affecting all businesses, all countries should unite to deal with it.
"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.
Participants drawn from 17 eastern and southern African countries expressed concern that pirates continued to seize commercial ships. They suggested that the arming of crew members or providing ships with armed escort should be debated.
Speaking at a regional maritime forum in Mombasa on September 5, he said firearms being shipped into the country continue to support piracy, despite the international campaign to eradicate it. Gamor said there were 5,100 foreign troops in Somalia, but 8,000 were needed.
He said arms from several countries were being supplied to the militias while pirates were aquiring more sophisticated equipment and huge sums of money being paid in 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. He conceded that piracy attacks have eased over the past four months.
The Southern African Development Community secretary, Mapolao Mokoena told the forum that since piracy is a global problem affecting all businesses, all countries should unite to deal with it.
"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.
Participants drawn from 17 eastern and southern African countries expressed concern that pirates continued to seize commercial ships. They suggested that the arming of crew members or providing ships with armed escort should be debated.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment