West Africans Ask the UN For Help to Stop Piracy and Trafficking

West Africans Call For UN Involvement against Piracy

Tuesday, 27 September 2011, 12:16 pm
Press Release: United Nations
West African Officials Call For Greater UN Involvement in Fight against Piracy

New York, Sep 26 2011 - Top West African officials are calling for greater United Nations and international support to prevent the region’s coasts from becoming a haven for pirates and to fight growing drug and arms trafficking.

“The evils of drug trafficking, piracy, trafficking of illicit goods and arms trafficking have reared their ugly heads across the sub-region,” Gambian Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy told the General Assembly at the start of the fifth day of its annual general debate. “The nature and extent of these crimes call for swift international action to nip them in the bud before it is too late.

“As these crimes feed on each other and sow the seeds of terror, economic sabotage and the collapse of social order, we must pool our resources together in the areas of detection, surveillance, law enforcement and prosecution in order to deny the culprits safe havens.

“In order to do this, we must come together and agree on a framework for cooperation with the support of the international community. We look forward to greater United Nations engagement with regional and subregional leaders and organizations in stamping out these menaces.”

Togolese Prime Minister Gilbert Fossoun-Houngbo referred to recent acts of piracy off the coasts of Togo and Benin. “At a time when the West African region is witnessing a resurgence of violence due to drugs and terrorism, our coasts cannot be allowed to be taken hostage by pirates,” he told the Assembly on Saturday, calling for closer cooperation between all countries to confront the new phenomenon.

“The crises and conflicts, the threats to international peace and security, such as piracy, cyber-crime and drug trafficking, which undermine efforts to consolidate peace in the world, must impel the international community to rethink the UN role in the context of security and economic and social development.”

At the end of last month the Security Council voiced concern over increasing piracy, armed robbery and reported hostage-taking in the Gulf of Guinea, saying the crimes were having an adverse impact on security, trade and other economic activities in the sub-region.

Mr. Fossoun-Houngbo also called for urgent UN and international steps to confront the drought and famine in the Horn of Africa where tens of thousands of people have already starved to death and 13.3 million people are threatened.

Both officials called for reform of the 15-member Security Council, expanding it and making it more representative of the regions of the world and correct what Mr. Fossoun-Houngbo called “flagrant and unacceptable injustices,” and Ms. Njie-Saidy termed “the glaring under-representation of Africa.”

“Africa needs to be adequately and properly represented and we will not give up on what is a very legitimate demand. What is even more appalling is that negotiations are progressing at snail’s pace,” she said, stressing that reform is long overdue, “and the lack of it is undermining the credibility of the organ and the legitimacy of its decisions.”

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

Italian Aid Worker Kidnapped in Darfur, Sudan

Aug 16, 2011 (2 days ago)

Italian aid worker kidnapped in South Darfur
by SudanTribube.com

August 15, 2011 (KHARTOUM) — An Italian aid worker has been abducted yesterday in the capital of South Darfur state by an unidentified group of armed men, the UNAMID and Italian government said today.

The logistics specialist was kidnapped on Sunday while he is was in the rout to the airport with two Sudanese colleagues, the UN hybrid mission said Monday. The abductors who were dressed in plain clothes took Francesco Azzara after stoping the car.

The Italian foreign ministry said concerned services are already working with the Sudanese authorities and the aid group Emergency.

The Italian medical aid group Emergency said Francesco, 34-year, was on his second visit to Nyala where it operates a pediatric center.

Abductors used to demand ransom and talks take time as the authorities used to convince them to release the hostages unharmed.

The UN Security Council on 29 July expressed its "deep concern" over the deterioration of security conditions in Darfur, including among others, the attack on aid workers.

However Khartoum denounced the resolution saying it distorts the image of the country and urged UN body to relay on verified reports.

The Rest @ The Sudan Tribune