Press Releases
Somalia: Puntland Govt Statement on Anti-Piracy Campaign
By
Jun 11, 2009 - 3:18:43 PM

Ministry of Information and Telecommunication
Puntland State
Federal Republic of Somalia

PRESS RELEASE

11 June 2009

The Government of Puntland State reiterates its strong commitment in the fight against piracy and highlights its unwavering opposition to ransom payments. The Government’s active campaign against pirates has grown stronger by the day as security forces continue to target pirate suspects and their assets in every part of Puntland. The President of Puntland, H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Mohamud (Farole), signed a decree dated 14 May 2009 authorizing Government security forces to arrest and seize the assets of any individual with known links to piracy. The President’s decree targeting pirate gangs holding foreign civilians and vessels for ransom was one step in a series of actions taken by Puntland Government to arrest pirate suspects, raid pirate locations and seize assets like motorboats and weapons, and educate the community against the destructive and criminal practice of piracy.

Since wining a democratic election on Jan. 8, 2009, the President has actively campaigned to rid the region of pirate gangs who have attracted negative international publicity, contributed to social and security problems, and exasperated struggling economic conditions. The steps Puntland Government has taken in recent months include:

• March: Appointing Anti-Piracy Commissioner to draft a strategy aimed at defeating the scourge of piracy;
• April: Arresting and sentencing 62 pirates to jail terms ranging from 3-to-20 years in prison;
• May: Raiding pirate safehouses, arresting 15 pirate suspects and seizing assets, including speedboats, weapons, vehicles and fuel tanks;
• Cooperating with international warships by jailing pirate suspects detained at high seas and charging the suspects in Puntland courts;
• Actively using media tools and community gatherings to advocate against piracy and pirate gangs;

Puntland Government acknowledges the sophisticated propaganda tools being used locally and internationally to discredit the Government’s anti-piracy campaign. The Government has regularly paid members of the security forces in an active effort to immediately restore internal security and the dramatic improvement in public safety can now be seen in major towns. Further, pirate gangs have disappeared from the main towns and hundreds of ex-pirates have now joined a rehabilitation plan that is being directed with assistance from Muslim scholars (‘Ulema).