Pirate Killed as French Hostages Freed

Created by sue. Last modified on 2008-09-16 16:53:52
Topic: Piracy Reports 2008
Countries: Somalia

Tue 16 Sep 2008, 6:17 GMT
Our thanks to ECOTERRA International for alerting noonsite.
Information via Reuters and the Daily Telegraph.

The two French citizens taken hostage by pirates off the Somali coast 2 weeks ago, have been freed by the French army, the French President's office confirmed today. "The two French nationals are safe and sound," said the statement from the Elysee, and their yacht has been escorted back to Djibouti, where France has a military base.

One pirate was killed and six others captured in the lightning raid, which lasted 10 minutes. The hostages were unharmed. With the backing from a French warship stationed nearby, some thirty commandos swooped on the pirates. They received support from Germany and Malaysia, according to the Elysée.

"France will not allow crime to pay," declared Mr Sarkozy, who dispatched the commando unit after receiving information that the pirates were approaching a highly-protected coastal base, where rescue efforts would have been far riskier.

"This operation is a warning to all those who engage in criminal activity," said the French president, who called for an international effort to protect ships in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden and surrounding area - reputedly the world's most dangerous. "This is a call for the mobilisation of the international community," he said.

In the latest act of piracy, gunmen had seized Jean-Yves and Bernadette Delanne on September 2nd as they were sailing their boat through the busy Gulf of Aden (see original news item here). The Pirates took the couple to a remote coastal village and reportedly demanded a ransom of more than $1.4 million as well as the release of the six pirates held in French prison.

French commandos carried out an operation in April and captured the six pirates after the seizure of a French luxury sailing ship, Le Ponant, with its 30 crew, including 22 French nationals. The pirates remain in the hands of French justice and will be shortly joined by the group captured today.

Authorities in Puntland welcomed the latest French military operation.

"The state of Puntland encourages such steps and calls on other governments whose nationals are being held to do the same thing," said a presidential advisor.

His words came amid efforts to secure the release of several other vessels still in the hands of pirates in the area – the latest being a Hong-Kong registered chemical tanker siezed today with 22 crew members on board.

"The incident happened in the maritime security corridor that is patrolled by coalition naval forces," said the head of the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre. "The situation (in the Gulf of Aden) is dangerous. We urge the UN and the international community with naval assets in the region to stop this menace," he said.

In June, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution authorising foreign warships to enter Somalia's territorial waters with the government's consent. However, at present very few foreign warships patrol the area.

European foreign ministers agreed on Monday to set up a special unit to coordinate the anti-piracy effort off Somalia, raising the possibility of a future EU naval mission.