50321 - 09042010
African Union (AU) has embarked on a race to fight piracy, a major challenge for several coastal countries in the continent.
An experts meeting on maritime security Ethiopia sought to develop a holistic policy to address the vice, which is increasingly becoming a major challenge for several African coastal countries. The just concluded gathering at Addis Ababa came at a time when Kenya, though having an agreement with Western naval powers for the transfer and prosecution of suspected pirates, has declined to accept any more pirates.
Kenya has since last month declined to prosecute the pirates, arguing that its courts lack expertise, translators and are already backlogged with a huge excess of domestic cases.
The coast of Somalia is currently infested with pirates that attack and hijack foreign vessels and merchant ships that use the Gulf of Aden en route to their travel destinations.
At present, Kenya has over 100 suspected pirates in custody serving up to 20-year prison sentences. AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Mrs Elham Ibrahim said though for years Africa has mostly been concerned by declining capacity of maritime industry, the growing menace means more attention must be given to maritime security. She said piracy has served as a "wake-up call to the leadership in Africa to take concrete action to rid the continent of these scourges which are undermining economic activity and the image of the continent". She said as we move from talking to taking concrete action, my message has been on the necessity of putting in place practical measures that would lead us to achieve real milestones in addressing every issue related to the maritime security situation in Africa.
Speaking on behalf of Malawi, which is chairing the Union, Mr Ernest Makawa, emphasized the need to take action for maritime safety and security to protect fisheries which make "a vital contribution to the food and nutritional security of 200 million Africans and provide income for over 10 million". He invited the experts to bear in mind that a threat-free maritime domain is a prerequisite "for an integrated and prosperous Africa".
In this regard, he added, there must be a corresponding African endeavor to address maritime security, while the variety of actors threatening Africa’s maritime domain continues to grow.
African Union (AU) has embarked on a race to fight piracy, a major challenge for several coastal countries in the continent.
An experts meeting on maritime security Ethiopia sought to develop a holistic policy to address the vice, which is increasingly becoming a major challenge for several African coastal countries. The just concluded gathering at Addis Ababa came at a time when Kenya, though having an agreement with Western naval powers for the transfer and prosecution of suspected pirates, has declined to accept any more pirates.
Kenya has since last month declined to prosecute the pirates, arguing that its courts lack expertise, translators and are already backlogged with a huge excess of domestic cases.
The coast of Somalia is currently infested with pirates that attack and hijack foreign vessels and merchant ships that use the Gulf of Aden en route to their travel destinations.
At present, Kenya has over 100 suspected pirates in custody serving up to 20-year prison sentences. AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Mrs Elham Ibrahim said though for years Africa has mostly been concerned by declining capacity of maritime industry, the growing menace means more attention must be given to maritime security. She said piracy has served as a "wake-up call to the leadership in Africa to take concrete action to rid the continent of these scourges which are undermining economic activity and the image of the continent". She said as we move from talking to taking concrete action, my message has been on the necessity of putting in place practical measures that would lead us to achieve real milestones in addressing every issue related to the maritime security situation in Africa.
Speaking on behalf of Malawi, which is chairing the Union, Mr Ernest Makawa, emphasized the need to take action for maritime safety and security to protect fisheries which make "a vital contribution to the food and nutritional security of 200 million Africans and provide income for over 10 million". He invited the experts to bear in mind that a threat-free maritime domain is a prerequisite "for an integrated and prosperous Africa".
In this regard, he added, there must be a corresponding African endeavor to address maritime security, while the variety of actors threatening Africa’s maritime domain continues to grow.
