Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf on Wednesday condemned the recent upsurge in rampant piracy off Somali coast and accused it of imposing an embargo on the war-wrecked Horn of Africa country which has already faced humanitarian crises.
Speaking at a news conference at his residence in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, Yusuf said the piracy in Somalia waters is adding to the difficulties of the Somali people who he said had already been suffering from insecurity, drought, a lack of adequate food and hyperinflation.
"These pirates are just imposing embargo on the Somali people and other countries. They prevented trade and food aid deliveries to the country. That is an acceptable," the Somali president told reporters.
There has been an increase in piracy activities and the last of them is the abduction last week of a Ukrainian ship with 21 crew members and cargo of military hardware.
The pirates have demanded a ransom of 20 million U.S. dollars for the release of the Ukrainian ships, its crew and cargo.
A U.S. destroyer and other warships have been surrounding the hijacked ship to prevent the pirates from selling the small arms on the ship to weapons dealers and local insurgency groups.
The Somali president did not specifically mention the Ukrainian ship and its siege by warships from the United States and other countries but said that "piracy" should be eradicated.
Piracy is rife in the Somali coastal waters, one of the most important shipping waterways in the world. Nearly 50 ships have been either attacked or abducted off the Somali coast so far this year. The Somali transitional government has no navy and can not stop piracy activities on its shores from escalating.
He called on the insurgency to take part in the reconciliation process, saying that they can not take the country at "the point of a gun."
Source: Xinhua
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