KENYA: President of Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region Abdirahman Mohamud Farole says piracy has hit economy

Record ID: 361960

  • Title: KENYA: President of Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region Abdirahman Mohamud Farole says piracy has hit economy
  • Date: 9th April 2010
  • Summary: BOSASO, PUNTLAND (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) BOSASO PORT FISHERMEN SAILING AWAY MEN FISHING, FISHERMAN PUTTING FISH ON BOAT
  • Embargoed: 24th April 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Kenya
  • Country: Kenya
  • Reuters ID: LVAJWSDL9PWK1TRKMUBYQOG36MV
  • Story Text: Abdirahman Mohamud Farole, president of the breakaway Somali republic Puntland, says piracy has destroyed the image of the state, which once had a flourishing livestock and fisheries industry.
    The president of Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region said on Friday (April 9) that piracy has hindered livestock exports and fishing which have traditionally provided sources of income for its population.
    A cash bonanza from millions of dollars in ransoms has filled pirate coffers and led to an influx of gleaming cars, new villas and luxury goods into Puntland, which declared itself independent in the early 1990s when the Horn of Africa nation was plunged into anarchy and civil war.
    Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole said piracy had emerged as an industry for a wide range of people, including brokers and facilitators, disrupting the region's traditional economy while introducing prostitution, drugs and alcohol to the predominantly Islamic communities.
    "Traditionally, Puntland people were fishermen and the only three fish factories that Somalia ever had were located in Puntland. That indicates that it was part of the Somalia resources in that particular area of Puntland and they have disrupted it and introduced drugs, alcohol and spoilt the culture and values of the people in that particular area who used to be very conservative," he said.
    Farole, who recently marked his first year as Puntland's president, rejected accusations by the United Nations that pirates may be collaborating with officials. He said prisons were stretched to the limit with 264 arrested pirates and Puntland needed assistance to increase its jail capacity.
    "We are cooperating with the French government, the Americans also and the NATO warships. Whenever they capture some of these pirates offshore they bring to us and we try them in our area but now we are running out of capacity in our prisons and we are afraid we cannot accept anymore, anymore pirates captured by others," Farole said.
    Patrols by multinational naval forces in the busy shipping lanes that link Asia to Europe through the Gulf of Aden have forced the gangs to extend their range and strike ever deeper into the Indian Ocean.
    Farole, who is in Kenya to meet with donors, also criticised the lack of aid from foreign powers to help the region fight piracy. He said his $20 million (USD) plan to fight piracy had failed to attract donor attention.
    "We came up with a plan of 600 task forces of our security forces to be trained and eight stations to be established along the Puntland coastline; four stations in the Eastern coast and 4 in North coast and we brought this plan to many organisations including governments and United Nations Organisation. Everybody appreciated it but up to now we have not received any assistance in that sense," Farole said.
    Somalia's economy is based almost entirely on remittances, livestock exports to Gulf Arab countries and donor inflows. But the threat of hijackings in the dangerous waters of the Gulf of Aden has deterred livestock traders from crossing the waterway, hitting trade volumes.
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