Original from Beijing Today Blog
The U.N. Security Council expressed its deep concerns about the “grave threat” caused by piracy in Somalia on Thursday, the same day an attempt by Somali security forces to free a Danish family from a pirate gang failed when would-be rescuers were ambushed.
The Security Council’s day-long open debate on Somalia was organized weeks ago by China, which holds the council’s rotating presidency. The council condemned the ongoing violence, including hostage taking, murder and other violent acts.
A senior official in Somali’s autonomous region of Puntland said five soldiers were killed and vehicles were burned on Thursday when pirates ambushed government forces trying to rescue the Danish couple, their three children and two crew members.
The family was kidnapped two weeks ago after pirates seized their 43-foot (13-meter) sailboat. In another failed rescue attempt two weeks ago, U.S. forces hoping to save four American hostages later discovered that pirates had killed all the captives.
A pirate told The Associated Press that the Danish hostages were safe and still being held.
The Security Council said it “recognizes that the ongoing instability in Somalia contributes to the problem of piracy and armed robbery” and stressed the need for a “comprehensive response” to tackle piracy and its root causes.
The 15-member body charged with helping ensure the world’s peace and security called on U.N. member states for urgent donations to support the U.N. mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM. It also called for the full deployment of 4,000 more peacekeepers to deal with the increasing violence.
Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, an attempt to rebuild national institutions after civil war, needs to speed up reconciliation among differing groups and complete a constitution before the transitional period ends in August, the council said.
Somalia has not had a functioning government in two decades. Piracy flourishes off the coast, with ransoms recently climbing into the millions of dollars and pirates holding hostages for longer periods.
The Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Prime Minister, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, told the UN Security Council debate that Somalia faced "two evils, the scourge of piracy and the plague of terrorism", and stated that "Not only are these two ills working in tandem, bu they are learning from each other." He gave a stark warning that there is the potential for the hijacking of tankers to be used "as deadly weapons" by al Qaeda's agents in Somalia, along the lines of September 2001 terror attacks in America (Reuters).
There is a great deal of tragic news going around right now; more than is usual, but the plight of the seafarers held hostage, both ashore and at sea, must not be forgotten in all of this. Recovery from disaster, no matter how devastating, does happen and people continue with their lives. The daily threat of being harshly treated, or even killed, is an ongoing torture that few have to face. In your prayers for those affected by global disasters, remember those held against their will by pirates, and the families who rarely, if at all, hear from those taken when going about their work. Where is the aid for them?
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