Now, that's chutzpah

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Somali pirates, besieged by foreign warships, demand 20 mln dlrs

source

9 hours ago MOGADISHU (AFP) — Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian freighter carrying supposed Kenyan military weapons defiantly demanded 20 million dollars in ransom despite being surrounded by three foreign warships on Sunday.

The spokesman for the pirates, contacted by AFP via satellite telephone, confirmed that they were surrounded by three foreign war vessels off Somalia's central coast and said the ship's crew was "safe and not harmed."

"What we are awaiting eagerly is the 20 million dollars (13.7 million euros), nothing less, nothing more," Sugule Ali said. On Saturday, figures ranging between five and 35 million dollars had been put forward.

Ali confirmed that the ship was under siege, but he said the pirates would not give themselves up.

"It is true we are surrounded by three foreign military vessels and there are some others we can see (in the) distance," he said.

"We are not afraid of their presence, that will not make us to abandon the ship or to refrain from asking (for) the money," Ali said. "There is no shortage of food supply and all the crew members are healthy and well including ours."

Later, however, the spokesman said that one of the hostages had died a "natural" death.

"He passed away today of a natural cause; he was not a victim of gunshots or violence," Ali said, while refusing to identify the alleged victim.

The report of a death could not be confirmed by an independent source.

Earlier, the adviser to the presidency of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, Bile Mohamoud Qabowsade, told AFP that three warships were tracking the pirates and two were very close to it.

"One of these ships is from the United States and the other two are from European Union countries," he said, without naming the European countries.

The governments of Britain, France, Germany and Greece told AFP their sailors were not involved in this operation.

The MV Faina was seized on Thursday with a crew of 21 as it neared the Kenyan port of Mombasa with a cargo of tanks, grenade launchers and ammunition for the Kenyan army.

Kenya said it was not in contact with the pirates, but efforts were underway to free the freighter.

"Combined security efforts are still going on to secure the ship ferrying Kenya military equipment that was hijacked two days ago by pirates off the Somali coast. The Kenyan government is not in contact with the pirates," spokesman Alfred Mutua said in a statement.

"The Kenyan government will not engage (with) terrorists...," he added.

A tribal chief and local fishermen Sunday in Harardhere, around 410 kilometres (250 miles) north of Mogadishu, said the navy ships used loudspeakers to warn the pirates not to unload their cargo. So far the pirates had not responded to invitations for talks.

A Kenyan maritime official said the weapons belong to South Sudan, a claim that was rejected by Nairobi. South Sudan, which signed a peace agreement in 2005 with the Khartoum government ending 21 years of war, is not allowed to buy weapons.

"All indications are that the weapons belong to South Sudan," said Andrew Mwngura, who runs the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme.

Kenya said the pirates were spreading "propaganda" about the weapons.

"There have been alarming propaganda by the pirates to media that the weapons are not for the Kenyan military. This is a tactic by the terrorists to try and fend off reprisals against them," Mutua said.

Another elder, Ali Harun, said: "The pirates made contacts with friends on the ground and they are saying that at least two warships came close to them, I believe they have no chances of escaping with the shipment."

According to the Ukrainian defence ministry, the Faina is carrying 33 Soviet-type T-72 tanks as well as armaments being delivered by Kiev as part of an arms deal with Kenya.

Seventeen Ukrainians are among the ship's 21-strong crew, which also includes three Russians and one Latvian.

On Friday the Russian navy dispatched the frigate Neustrashimy (Fearless) to the region in response to what it said was a "rise in pirate attacks, including against Russian citizens."

The US Defense Department said Friday it was monitoring the situation and "looking at possible options."

The coastal waters off Somalia, which has not had an effective central government for more than 17 years and is plagued by insecurity, are considered to be among the most dangerous waterways for shipping in the world.

At least 55 boats have been attacked in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean since January by Somali pirates, according to the International Maritime Office (IMB).

Last year more than 25 ships were seized by pirates in Somali coastal waters despite US navy patrols, the IMB said.