Number of ship hijackings has gone down in the area
Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere (Christian Democratic Union) does not see a speedy end of the Bundeswehr mission at the Horn of Africa.
Even though the number of ship hijackings has gone down in the area of the EU-led Atalanta mission, an end of the mission, which has been underway for about three years by now, could be in sight only if piracy were combated at its roots and Somalia became a stable state, the minister said in Djibouti in eastern Africa yesterday.
The pirates are mainly active from Somalia. According to the minister, this year, until mid-November, 224 incidents of piracy were counted in the Atalanta area, including 20 hijackings (8.9 %). In contrast, in 2009 and 2010 there were 231 incidents of piracy each year with some 50 hijackings (about 22 %). With about 520 soldiers, the mission off the coast of Africa is the Bundeswehr’s third-largest operation.
De Maiziere stated that he intends to advocate common action in particular also at the EU level.
Source: Hamburg Financial Times
