Armies of Liberation

Not even on a per case basis when in hot pursuit, Yemen Observer:

Yemen has denied foreign navies access to Yemen’s territorial waters whilst in pursuit of pirates. Yemen’s Deputy-Foreign Minister for Arab, Asian and African Affairs Ali al-Ayashi, denied the news currently being circulated by some websites that quoted a French diplomatic source saying the Yemeni government had permitted foreign warships to chase pirate vessels into its territorial waters on a case-by-case basis when Yemen is unable to act.

Al-Ayashi said these claims were baseless, and go directly against the sovereignty of Yemen. “The issue of fighting piracy by foreign ships in Yemen’s territorial waters is baseless, and Yemen has never agreed to any such procedures,” said al-Ayashi. He added that Yemen had affirmed many times that it would fight piracy in its territorial waters through the use of Coast Guard patrols, and through joint-operations between the Yemeni Navy and Coast Guard.

Al-Ayashi asserted that Yemen had confirmed on many occasions that it would cooperate with all international efforts aimed at fighting piracy in international waters.

Meanwhile, Yemen and France are planning to build an artificial harbor off Yemen’s Myon Island to help in the international campaign against piracy, according to a French diplomat.

Speaking after the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the diplomat said: “This anchorage will facilitate the missions of vessels helping in the fight against piracy.” France, Yemen and Djibouti are preparing a letter of intent on an “agreement in principle” to create the harbor on Myon, which lies in a strategic location at the entrance to the Red Sea between Yemen and Djibouti, the diplomat added.

Kouchner said he and Saleh had explored ways in which their countries could join forces to battle threats at sea. “We had very sincere talks, which centered on an increase in visits to Yemeni ports by foreign ships engaged in the fight against piracy, and assistance in the area of training for Yemen’s Coast Guards,” the French Foreign Minister said.

“We must look to step up regional cooperation to avoid security problems”, commented Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, noting that humble fishermen had been targeted by foreign vessels on counter-piracy operations.

Yemen wants to create an operations coordination center, since we “must help the fishermen earn their living”, Qirbi said. The country currently operates only a small anti-piracy monitoring center.

In a related issue, two Japanese warships are to join international forces in the fight against piracy in Somalia’s territorial waters, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The two Japanese warships are due to start their mission in the second half of March. Japanese Naval officials visited Yemen last month, and conducted talks with Yemeni officials to facilitate their warships’ mission in the region.

In other related news, the General Prosecution has launched investigations into 4 Somali pirates who were being held in Aden last Sunday. The Russian Navy in the international waters of the Arabian Sea captured 12 suspected pirates, and handed them over to the Yemeni Coast Guard last month. The Indian Navy had also captured 10 Somali pirates, handing them over to Yemen’s Coast Guard two weeks ago.

The Deputy-Manager of the Yemen’s Coast Guard in Aden, Abdul Rahman Mosa said they received the Somali pirates from the Russian and Indian Navies, and referred them to the security authorities in Aden for investigation and eventual trial.

The leader of the suspected group of pirates captured by the Russian Navy, Ahamd Abdullah Mosa, also known by the alias ‘Hamri’, denied that he and his companions were pirates. “We are fishermen, and we were captured in Somali waters while fishing,” said Hamri. However he admitted that he and his companions had 12 Kalashnikov assault rifles and an RPG launcher.”All Somali fishermen need weapons when they go fishing to protect themselves against pirates or rival tribesmen,” said Hamri. He added that there is no justifiable legal framework for either their arrest by the Russian Navy or their detention by Yemeni authorities. Hamri blamed coalition forces for exploiting the crisis in Somalia to carry out illegal activities in Somali waters. He accused international forces of allowing giant fishing ships to fish illegally in Somali waters, using explosives in deep waters to bring fish up.

The leader of the second group captured by the Indian Navy, Abdul Rashid Jama, 31, also denied that he or any of his companions were pirates. He said they came from the Billa district, 370 kilometers from Bosasso, and the Indian Navy had arrested them as they were fishing in the Indian Ocean. He confessed that he and his companions had seven Kalashnikov machine guns when they were arrested by the Indian navy.

The Deputy-Manager of the coast guards for Aden, Abdul Rahman Mosa, confirmed that no acts of piracy had occurred in the Gulf of Aden, or in Yemeni regional waters. He went on to say that Yemen’s Coast Guards are able to deal with any acts of piracy; however he called for international assistance to enhance the capacities of the country’s 6-year old Coast Guard Authority. He said Coast Guard personnel were highly qualified, and that there are currently 1,200 staff serving in the Gulf of Aden alone, however he said the capacities of their boats remains limited. “We have only 3 boats that can sail for 8 continuous hours. We need more boats, with greater capacity, that can sail for several days and enter international waters to engage the pirates,” said Mosa.

“These countries have created a code of conduct for fighting piracy, which is a practical mechanism for securing maritime routes,” said al-Ayashi. He also stressed that to fight piracy, the international community should support the newly elected Somali government, in order to enable it to control its coasts, and ensure its security both on land and at sea.

Colonel Abdul Rahman Mosa stated that he believes former personnel from the Somali Navy, as well as Somali tribesmen and fishermen have been using former navy equipment in the commission of acts of piracy. “They are well trained and equipped to engage in combat, however they know our capacities, so they haven’t engaged in piracy in Yemen’s regional waters, said Mosa. However, he stressed the necessity of providing the Yemeni Coast Guards with suitable ships with greater capabilities. Colonel Abdul Majid Dhulman, captain of the Yemeni Coast Guard’s three advanced boats in the Gulf of Aden stated he wished his boats were equipped with missiles, to cope with pirates armed with RPG’s and heavy machine guns. “We are well-trained, and have undergone several training exercises in the past five years,” said Dhulman. He added that they had undergone joint marine exercises with a number of foreign navies including the French, German and British navies. “During one of our exercises last year, we captured a Pakistani boat loaded with 24 tons of hash in the Indian Ocean,” said Dhulman.

The suspected pirates arrested by the Indian and Russian navies said that all hijacked ships and tankers are being kept in a harbor called Jebel Kalb, “Dog’s Mountain”, but they said they had never visited this area. Some security experts doubted the suspect’s claims that they were fishermen. “Fishermen’s hands are usually toughened, not soft, as a result of dealing with fishing tents and ropes. These men’s hands are soft, which indicates they were not fishermen,” said a security source at al-Mansoura prison in Aden where the suspects are being held. The source added that some of the suspects, including the leader of the second group, had communicated with pirates in Somalia to provide them money and support while in prison.