Somalia/Piracy: Somali pirates hijacked Turkish ship

The European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) announced on Tuesday that Somali pirates hijacked a Turkish ship with 21 crew on board in the Indian Ocean.

According to officials, Maltese-flagged MV Frigia was hijacked in waters between Somalia and India, more than 1,000 miles from the pirate stronghold of Haradhere. The ship had been sailing east from Port Said to Thailand and its crew consists of 19 Turks and two Ukrainians.

A pirate identifying himself as Ali told reporters by phone that currently the ship is heading toward Haradhere, Somalian coastal town, a base for many hijackers.

Somali/Insurgency: Eight people killed in clashes with al Shabaab and Hizbul Islam in Baladweyne

Reuters news agency reported today that at least eight people had been killed and more than a dozen other injured in clashes between Hizbul Islam and al Shabaab rebel groups and pro-governmental militia forces in the Central Somali town of Baladweyne, capital of Hiiran region.

Reportedly Islamists took control over the town and started raiding the offices of humanitarian aid agencies present in the town, namely the World Food Programme (WFP) and Save the Children (UK). The same sources stated that computers and other goods were looted by Al Shabaab fighters. – an Al Qaeda linked terrorist group.
 
The collaboration between Al-Qaeda Al Shabaab group and Hizbul Islam is extremely worrying as the 2 groups were formerly fighting each other. A new alliance could therefore lead to increased attacks against the Somali government or in Kenya. 

Somalia/Insurgency: gunman killed legislator in Bossaso

Unknown gunman shot dead Mohamed Ahmed Jabril Daqare, a lawmaker in the northern Somalia's Puntland. Reportedly, the gunman attacked Jabril while he was walking in a main street in Bossaso, the region's commercial capital on Tuesday night.

Nor Abdulle, who witnessed the incident said "An armed man shot the MP (Member of Parliament) in the head. Armed police sealed off the area and arrested the shooter.”

A relative of the politician, who preferred not to be named, confirmed that Daqare had later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

According to officials the assailant fled from the scene after the attack and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. However, security officials confirmed the arrest of a main suspect and two other people who are suspected of being involved in the assassination.

Daqare is the second lawmaker to be assassinated since the beginning of the year. Earlier this month, security forces arrested two gunmen in connection with the killing of MP Abdullahi Ali Osman in Bossaso.

Somalia/Kenya/Security: Kenyan police raid Eastleigh suburb after riots

Kenyan security forces on Sunday raided a mainly Somali suburb of the capital Nairobi and arrested scores of people, officials and witnesses said. "We warned of a situation like this. It seems Kenyan security forces are simply categorising the whole community as a terrorist group," said cleric Sheikh Hassan Qoryoleey. "That is not the case. The majority of Somalis are peace-loving people."

The raid on Eastleigh, a predominantly Somali suburb followed after Friday’s violent protest in the capital against the deportation of a jailed Muslim cleric Abdullah el-Faisal. “Security forces swooped on the suburb of Eastleigh on Sunday night and arrested several people, including 16 members of the Somali parliament,” Somali lawmaker Ahmed Nur Ugas said.

On Sunday, Al-Shabaab announced that it was not behind the Friday's protest. However, it praised the protesters for taking up the cause of jailed cleric Sheikh Abdullah al-Faisal. The cleric was deported from Britain in 2007 after a jail term for provoking a racial hatred. "That demonstration is the obligation of all Muslims wherever they are," Al-Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage told reporters in Somalia. "That is the action of pure Muslims."

 

Somalia/Piracy: pirates free Greek oil tanker after ransom paid

Somali pirates on Monday released the ”Maran Centaurus”, a Greek-flagged tanker which was hijacked on November 29, 762 nautical miles off Somalia’s east coast after a ransom was paid, the maritime officials said. One of the pirates stated to Reuters by telephone "We have agreed to solve our disagreements and release the ship. It is free and sailing away now."

Confirming the report, Maran Tankers Management said, “The tanker with all crew on board is now under naval escort en route to a suitable safe port.” All 28 members of the officers and crew of the “Maran Centaurus” are safe and well and looking forward to being reunited with their families,” it stated.

Among the crew were nine Greeks, 16 Filipinos, two Ukrainians and one Romanian citizen. Officials said a dispute between two rival pirate groups over the ransom delayed the release of the ship. The amount of ransom paid to the pirates on Sunday is believed to be between $5.5 million and $7 million, they said.

Somalia/Piracy: EU navy rescues Pakistan ship left by Somali pirates

The European Union's anti-piracy force (EU NAVFOR) said in a statement that EU warship rescued a Pakistan-flagged fishing vessel, captured last month by Somali pirates and used in a hijacking of another ship. Reportedly, suspected Somali pirates hijacked the MV Shahbaig some 320 nautical miles east off Socotra in early December. "On January 2 ... the Pakistan-flagged fishing vessel ... with a crew of 29 Pakistani nationals was released approximately 900 nautical miles north of the Seychelles," the EU Navfor force said in a statement on its website. "The Shahbaig was boarded by crew from French warship FS Surcouf and found all crew members to be in good health except for one member whose leg was broken," the statement said.

According to EU NAVFOR the Shahbaig was involved in the hijacking of British-flagged vehicle carrier Asian Glory on New Year's Day and had been abandoned by pirates off the Seychelles before EU warship FS Surcouf found it.

Maritime officials confirmed on Monday that Somali pirates had hijacked two more vessels in the Gulf of Aden on Friday. The UK-flagged vehicle carrier Asian Glory was taken while on route from Singapore to the Saudi port of Jeddah with 25 crewmembers, respectively 8 Bulgarians, 5 Indians, 2 Romanians and 10 Ukrainians. Also on Friday, Somali pirates hijacked the Singaporean-flagged chemical tanker M/V Pramoni, in the Gulf of Aden.

Somalia/Terrorism: 5 killed in grenade attack 

Five people were killed and 17 injured when unknown assailants hurled grenades into a crowded market on Thursday, said witnesses.  The incident occurred in the town where Somalia's parliament sits. 

"At least three civilians died and 17 others were wounded after unidentified men hurled two hand grenades at Baidoa market," said Hussein Mohamed, a witness. 

A doctor at a hospital in Baidoa said two of the injured people taken there had later died. 

In another incident, 6 people were killed when a “remote controlled” landmine, targeting government troops, exploded in Hamar Weyene district, near the Somali presidential palace in Mogadishu. 

Three government officers and two guards were among the dead, said a Somali official on conditions of anonymity. 

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack. 

On Wednesday, a phenomenal power-sharing deal has been signed between Somalia's government and an opposition group, the Alliance for Re-liberation of Somalia, in Djibouti. 

The deal form a unified government and an enormous parliament with 550 seats, 200 of which will be filled by the opposition and 75 by members of Somalia's civil society. 

It also extends the Transitional Federal Government's term, which expires early next year, to three years.

Somalia/Terrorism : Al Jazeera airs video of kidnapped journalists

Arab television Al Jazeera aired an interview with Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout and Australian photographer Nigel Brennan, who were kidnapped in Somalia last month. Lindhout, 27, a freelance television and print reporter was kidnapped on August 23 near Mogadishu along with Brennan, 37 and Abdifatah Mohammed Elmi, a Somali journalist who was working as their translator.

Al Jazeera said the pair was appealing to their governments to work toward gaining their release.  The video showed them along with armed men. Amanda Lindhout was speaking to the camera but the tape's audio was not aired. The television said the kidnappers, calling themselves “Mujahideen of Somalia”, had accused Canada and Australia of "taking part in the destruction of Somalia" and demanded that they review their policies. An official of the NGO Reporters Without Borders said last week that the kidnappers were seeking $2.5 million (1.4 million pounds) for the return of the captives.

Abductions are common in the lawless Horn of Africa nation, where Islamist insurgents have been fighting the interim government and its Ethiopian military allies since early 2007. Somalia is also one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists to operate. Many reporters have been attacked and at least nine local correspondents have been killed since the start of the insurgency last year.

Somali/Piracy: French army frees hostages
 
Two French nationals held hostage by Somali pirates for two weeks have been freed by the French army in an operation in which one pirate was killed, the French presidency today."One pirate was killed and six others were captured" during the operation ordered late Monday by President Nicolas Sarkozy, a statement said. "The president is happy with the success of this operation" and sent "warm congratulations" to the troops who took part, it said. President Sarkozy was to make a statement later Monday in the press room at the Elysee presidential palace .

The two hostages were seized in a sailing boat in the Gulf of Aden earlier this month by pirates who reportedly demanded a ransom of some $1.4m. Hijackers captured and took the sailing boat to Bargal village, a pirate den in Somalia's northern semi-autonomous Puntland region. "The two French nationals are safe and sound," the statement said. Warships from France and other nations have been patrolling the Somali coast to protect ships carrying aid to the country, where up to a third of the population needs food aid.

European foreign ministers on Monday agreed to set up a "coordination unit" to help tackle the growing problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia, with the possibility of an EU naval mission in future. The Somali waters are among the most dangerous in the world. Attacks by pirates are common and hamper the delivery of food aid.

Somalia/China/Piracy: ship with 22 crew hijacked
 
Armed pirates have hijacked a Hong Kong chemical tanker with 22 crew members in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia's dangerous waters, a regional maritime official confirmed on Tuesday. Noel Choong of the International Maritime Bureau says the ship was seized Monday, making it the 12th vessel to be hijacked in the pirate-infested waterway since July 20.

Maritime official said the Hong Kong ship was sailing in a maritime security corridor in the gulf patrolled by an international coalition of warships and aircraft.The attack came hours after the French army killed a Somali pirate in operations which led to the release of two French nationals in the  Gulf of Aden on Monday.

Somalia/France/Piracy: French government wants new measures to fight Somali pirates

According to French radio station France Info, Somali pirates have tried to attack a French tuna fishing boat sailing in the Indian Ocean, off the coasts of Seychelles. The Pirates in their speedboat failed to board the Drennec but fired two rockets, without claiming any victims or causing major damage, the radio added. The captain of the boat said in a telephone interview that he and most other French and Spanish fishermen present in the area had decided to return to their Home port in Mahé, pending naval protection.

Michel Barnier, French minister of Agriculture and Fishing, asked on Sunday Prime Minister François Fillon to convene an emergency meeting with ministers of  Defence and Foreign Affairs to determine all the necessary  measures to protect the ships operating in international water of the Indian Ocean. In June, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution authorising foreign warships to enter Somalia's territorial waters to combat pirates and armed robbery at sea. Even though this measure it is yet to be implemented, a multinational taskforce based in Djibouti has been patrolling parts of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, where a most of the attacks are committed.

Somalia/ Piracy: Pirates release German, Japanese ships

Somali pirates have released German-operated ships Antigua and Barbuda-flagged MV BBC Trinidad and a Japanese tanker MT Irene, seized last month. Andrew Mwangura of the Kenyan branch of the Seafarers' Assistance Programme said, "As of now, we have confirmed that the two ships have been released by the pirates.  We have got information that 1.1 million dollars was paid for the release of the German ship."

Sources close to the pirates in the northern Somali breakaway state of Puntland, said a ransom of 1.5 million dollars was paid for the Japanese vessel, but the information could not be confirmed.According to Somali officials and several maritime organizations, Somali pirates are currently holding several foreign ships hostage off the coast of the troubled Horn of Africa.

Somalia/Terrorism: MP shot dead outside Mosque
 
An unidentified gunman killed an outspoken Somali lawmaker, Mohamed Osman Maye, outside a mosque yesterday in the town of Baidoa. This is the latest in a series of attacks in the lawless African nation. Mohamed Osman Maye was shot in the head and died on the spot. he was thought to be an ally of President Abdullahi Yusuf and Earlier this week, in a speech to parliament he expressed his concern about the worsening violence. Mohamed Osman Maye is the first MP to have been assassinated since Ethiopian forces helped the interim government oust Islamists from power in December 2006. He belongs to the Somali National Union party that represents minority clans from Banadir and Lower Shabelle regions in the two 272-member clan-based assemblies.

Meanwhile, Islamist militants who took over the port town of Kismayo last month have imposed a curfew following the assassination of several residents.  "The curfew started on Monday night and will go on until we secure the town," Abdurrahman Ali Mohamed, who is in charge of security in the town, told BBC. Insurgents of the al-Shabab group seized control of Kismayo in August after a three-day battle in which an estimated 70 civilians were killed.  According to a journalist in the region, Kismayo, Somalia's third city is strategically important because it serves as a port for the south of the country. 

Al-Shabab, a radical wing of the Union of Islamic Courts which ruled much of southern Somalia in 2006, has refused to participate in a UN-backed peace initiative taking place in Djibouti.  Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in fighting which has been worst in the capital, Mogadishu. Somalia has been without a functioning national government since 1991 and has suffered ongoing civil strife.

Somalia/ Piracy: Somali pirates demand $1.4 million ransom to release French tourists

Somali pirates are demanding a ransom of $1.4 million to release the two French tourists kidnapped a week ago, a maritime group said today. The East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme said the Somali pirates were using the yacht of the French couple, Jean-Yves Delanne and his wife Bernardette, to hunt more victims in waters off the lawless Horn of Africa nation.

"Reports directly from Somalia indicate that the hostages were dropped at the Somali coast near Alula…....the gang dragged them to a remote hideout in the Xaabo mountains," the Kenya-based maritime group said in a statement. The statement said the kidnappers were demanding a ransom "in excess" of $1.4 million to free the two hostages, and were also calling for the release of six pirates seized in April. “Naval operations or military interventions most likely will risk the lives of the hostages," the group warned.

Somalia/ Piracy : Somali pirates seize French boat, 2 held captive

Two French citizens and their sailing boat have been seized by pirates off the Somali coast, the French foreign ministry said on Monday. A delegation of officials from the semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland has gone to Eyl port to investigate. It is not clear if there were any other people on board the sailing boat, and a French foreign ministry statement said "discretion" was needed in such cases.

Along the coast, attacks against fishing boats, cargo ships and yachts have surged over recent months and foreigners, who can be exchanged for large ransoms, are frequent targets. The seas off Somalia have some of the highest rates of piracy in the world. The country has been without a functioning central government for 17 years and has suffered from continual civil strife.  In June, the United Nations Security Council voted to allow countries to send warships into Somalia's waters to tackle the pirates

 

Somalie/Terrorisme : violents échanges de feu à Kismayo et à Mogadiscio

Selon un premier bilan confirmé par des sources hospitalières jeudi, les combats qui se sont déroulés dans le port de Kismayo, au sud de la Somalie, entre les islamistes et les milices locales ont fait au moins 22 morts et 50 blessés. Abdukadir Ali Hashi, un chef coutumier de Kismayo a déclaré à l’agence de presse AFP que « les combats d'aujourd'hui (jeudi) sont les pires. Ils ont fait beaucoup de victimes, y compris des civils. J'ai vu 16 cadavres aujourd'hui, mais il pourrait y en avoir plus car les combats continuent et certains endroits sont inaccessibles ». Selon plusieurs témoins joints à Mogadiscio, la capitale somalienne, « les combats entre les insurgés et des milices locales ont débuté mercredi après trois jours de vive tension » entre les deux camps.

Par ailleurs, des tirs de mortiers ont aussi été effectués à Mogadiscio près du palais du président somalien Abdullahi Yusuf qui est actuellement en voyage en Ethiopie ainsi qu’à proximité d’une mosquée située près du marché de Bakara. Selon Hassan Adan Yarisow, un témoin sur place « quatre civils ont été tués quand un tir de mortier a atterri devant la mosquée du marché de Bakara, et sept autres ont été blessés ».

Pour rappel, les « Shebabs » sont des combattants islamistes qui se battent « pour la libération de la terre sainte de Somalie » d’où ils promettent de chasser les troupes éthiopiennes venues renforcer les troupes fidèles au gouvernement somalien de transition depuis fin 2006. Depuis qu’ils ont été renversés, les islamistes s’attaquent presque quotidiennement aux militaires ou contre des représentants du gouvernement. Depuis mars dernier, ils ont été inscrits sur la liste noire américaine des organisations terroristes en raison de leurs liens présumés avec Al-Qaïda.

Somalie/Piraterie : un tanker malaisien abordé dans les eaux internationales du golfe d’Aden
 
Un tanker battant pavillon malaisien et transportant de l’huile de palme brute a été détourné dans la nuit de mardi à mercredi par des pirates dans le golfe d’Aden. Selon le centre de surveillance du Bureau Maritime Internationale (BMI) qui a reçu un signal de détresse, le navire a sans doute été détourné dans les eaux somaliennes avec ses vingt membres d’équipage. Aucun contact avec le capitaine n’a encore pu être établi mais la Malaysian International Shipping Corporation, à qui appartient le vaisseau, s’attend à ce qu’une demande de rançon soit formulée dans les prochaines heures.

Le golfe d’Aden est réputé pour sa dangerosité en raison des pirates qui y mènent une activité intense. Rappelons qu’en juillet dernier, le MV Stella Maris, un cargo japonais affrété par la compagnie MMS avait été abordé dans les eaux internationales du golfe.  Au cours de l’année 2007, 26 abordages ont été recensés au large de la Somalie par le BMI qui précise que les pirates sont généralement armés de fusils d’assaut, de lance-roquettes et de grenades.

Somalie/ONU : le mandat de l’AMISOM prolongé pour six mois

Le Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU a adopté mardi à l’unanimité la résolution 1831 (2008) qui prévoit le renouvellement pour six mois de la mission africaine des Nations unies (AMISOM) en Somalie. Le Conseil autorise la force de maintien de la paix à prendre toute les mesures « nécessaires et appropriées pour le maintien de son mandat », y compris la protection des infrastructures clefs et la mise en place des conditions de sécurité pour assurer l’aide humanitaire. Le Conseil encourage également le secrétaire général de l’ONU à continuer à explorer avec l’Union Africaine (UA) « les moyens de renforcer la logistique des Nations unies ainsi que le soutien politique et technique à l’UA en construisant les capacité de l’Union à remplir ses engagements par le soutien de l’AMISOM et en encourageant cette dernière à son déploiement complet ».

Par ailleurs, la résolution salue également l’accord conclu le 19 août entre le gouvernement somalien de transition et l’alliance de libération de la Somalie qui appelle l’ONU à « autoriser un déploiement d’une force internationale de stabilisation, amie de la Somalie et excluant les pays voisins », une allusion afin que l’Ethiopie retire ses troupes du pays. Rappelons en effet qu’Addis Abeba a envoyé des troupes chez son voisin pour soutenir le gouvernement de transition et défaire l’Union des tribunaux islamiques qui a contrôlé le pays pendant six mois.

Somalie/Terrorisme : un employé du PAM et son chauffeur ont été tués

Le Programme Alimentaire Mondial (PAM) a confirmé lundi qu’un de ses employés et son chauffeur enlevés vendredi dernier dans le sud-ouest de la Somalie ont été retrouvés morts. Tous deux avaient été enlevés près de Dinsoor, à 350 km à l'ouest de Mogadiscio tandis qu’une troisième personne était parvenue à s’enfuir. Geni Abdullahi, la sœur du chauffeur a déclaré « Nous nous préparons à les enterrer, nous avons retrouvé leurs corps brutalement mutilés à quelque distance de Dinsoor ».  C’est la première fois qu’un employé du PAM meurt de façon violente en Somalie où l’ONU est active depuis 1993. L’agence onusienne s’est dite dans un communiqué « choquée par cette attaque gratuite et barbare contre l'un de (ses) employés ».

Fin juillet, un des plus hauts responsables islamistes le cheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, avait affirmé depuis Asmara, la capitale érythréenne qu’ « Il y avait des Somaliens qui, par erreur, s'en prenaient aux agences humanitaires et qu’ils devaient cesser leurs actions immédiatement et sans délai ». Rappelons que les tribunaux islamiques ont contrôlé  la majeure partie du centre et du sud de la Somalie, dont la capitale, pendant six mois. Ils ont été mis en déroute à la fin de l’année 2006 par une intervention de l'armée éthiopienne, venue soutenir le gouvernement de transition somalien. Depuis, les violences n’ont pas cessé dans le pays, qui est devenu le théâtre de nombreux affrontements, attentats et enlèvements de travailleur humanitaires étrangers.

Canada/Somalie : Ottawa envoie une frégate au large de la Somalie

Peter MacKay, le ministre canadien de la Défense, a annoncé mercredi soir que la frégate NCSM Ville de Québec irait patrouiller au large de la corne de l’Afrique, pour protéger les convois alimentaires à destination de la Somalie. Fort d’un équipage de 253 marins, il escortera les bateaux du Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM) envoyés pour soulager la grave crise alimentaire dont souffre le pays. La frégate Ville de Québec croisera dans la Mer d'Oman jusqu'au 27 septembre prochain, après quoi il rentrera à Halifax, en décembre.

Le PAM a demandé en juin dernier à toutes les puissances navales du monde de protéger ses navires, après la fin de missions françaises, danoises, et néerlandaises débutés en novembre dernier. Rappelons que les eaux somaliennes comptent aujourd’hui parmi les plus dangereuses du monde, ce qui complique fortement l’arrivée de l’aide alimentaire dans le pays. Conjuguée aux attaques des milices islamistes contre les organisations humanitaires, cette situation risque de provoquer en Somalie une famine comparable à celles qui ont ravagé le pays au début des années 1990.