Security Council speaks out against piracy, armed robbery off Somali coast

The Security Council today deplored acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia which impede the delivery of vital relief supplies, calling on States to cooperate more to tackle the problem.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member body said it was “gravely concerned by the threat that acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels pose to the prompt, safe and effective delivery of humanitarian aid to Somalia, the safety of commercial maritime routes and to international navigation.”

Dozens of attacks and hijackings of ships operated by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and other relief agencies have been reported recently, obstructing the delivery of much-needed aid.

The Council called on States whose military ships and planes operate off the Horn of Africa nation’s coast to be alert to piracy and to coordinate efforts to curb the problem with other nations, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and international organizations such as the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Today’s resolution also said that for a six-month period, countries working with the TFG in combating piracy can enter Somalia’s territorial waters to repress such acts.