The United Nations Security Council, recognising the need for additional measures to boost its anti-piracy effort, has decided to urgently consider the establishment of specialised Somali courts to try suspected pirates in Somalia and in the region.
The UNSC also urged both State and non-State actors affected by piracy, most notably the international shipping community, to provide support for a host of judicial and detention-related projects through an ad hoc trust fund.
The United Nations Security Council, recognising the need for additional measures to boost its anti-piracy effort, has decided to urgently consider the establishment of specialised Somali courts to try suspected pirates in Somalia and in the region.
The UNSC also urged both State and non-State actors affected by piracy, most notably the international shipping community, to provide support for a host of judicial and detention-related projects through an ad hoc trust fund.
In its unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-member Council yesterday stressed the need for a comprehensive response to tackle piracy and its underlying causes by the international community, as it outlined a wide array of measures to more effectively counter the scourge of piracy.
India, which currently holds the two-year term that began on January 1, described the hostage-taking in the region as a ‘serious humanitarian’ issue. The UNSC addressed the issue at the instance of New Delhi.
The measures include calling on States to cooperate on the issue of hostage-taking; encouraging States and regional organisations to assist Somalia in strengthening its coastguard capacity; urging all States, including those in the region, to criminalise piracy under their domestic laws; and underlining the need to investigate and prosecute those who illicitly finance, plan, organise or unlawfully profit from pirate attacks off the Somali coast.
The Council was acting on the recommendations contained in a report by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Advisor Jack Lang.
In its previous resolutions, the Council has authorised States and regional organisations to enter Somalia’s territorial waters and use ‘all necessary means’ to fight piracy such as deploying naval vessels and military aircraft, as well as seizing and disposing of boats, vessels, arms and related equipment used for piracy.
In the text adopted yesterday, it recognised that the ongoing instability in Somalia is one of the underlying causes of the problem of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of the Horn of Africa nation.
Somalia, which has not had a functioning central government since 1991, has been torn apart by decades of conflict and factional strife, more recently with Shabaab Islamic militants.
The country is also facing a dire humanitarian crisis in which 2.4 million people are in need of assistance.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, 1016 sailors from different countries were taken hostage last year by Somali pirates.
Currently there are still 638 sailors, including 53 from India, held by the pirates.
‘The hostages are generally from working-class and often the only breadwinners of their families,’ said a statement issued by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN. ‘Sailors are in many circumstances required to endure very harsh conditions under the captivity of pirates and are often tortured by their captors.’
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