UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — The UN special envoy for Somalia on Friday
sounded the alarm about rampant illegal fishing and the dumping of
toxic waste off the coast of the lawless African nation.
"Because there is no (effective) government, there is so much
irregular fishing from European and Asian countries," Ahmedou Ould
Abdallah told reporters.He said he had asked several international
non-governmental organizations, including Global Witness, which works
to break the links between natural resource exploitation, conflict,
corruption, and human rights abuses worldwide, "to trace this illegal
fishing, illegal dumping of waste."
"It is a disaster off the Somali coast, a disaster (for) the Somali
environment, the Somali population," he added.
Ould Abdallah said the phenomenon helps fuel the endless civil war in
Somalia as the illegal fishermen are paying corrupt Somali ministers
or warlords for protection or to secure fake licenses.
East African waters, particularly off Somalia, have huge numbers of
commercial fish species, including the prized yellowfin tuna.Foreign
trawlers reportedly use prohibited fishing equipment, including nets
with very small mesh sizes and sophisticated underwater lighting
systems, to lure fish to their traps.
"I am convinced there is dumping of solid waste, chemicals and
probably nuclear (waste)…. There is no government (control) and there
are few people with high moral ground," Ould Abdallah added.
Allegations of waste dumping off Somalia by European companies have
been heard for years, according to Somalia watchers. The problem was
highlighted in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami when broken
hazardous waste containers washed up on Somali shores.
But world attention has recently focused on piracy off Somalia, which
has taken epidemic proportions since the country sank into chaos after
warlords ousted the late president Mohamed Siad Barre in
1991.Somalia's coastal waters are now considered to be among the most
dangerous in the world, with more than 25 ships seized by pirates
there last year despite US navy patrols, according to the
International Maritime Bureau.
Some Somali pirates have reportedly claimed to be acting as
"coastguards" protecting their waters from illegal fishing and dumping
of toxic waste.Ould Abdallah cited the case of a Spanish trawler
captured by pirates while illegally fishing for tuna off Somalia in
April.He said payment of a ransom for the release of the crew "was
done in a very sophisticated manner" with the pirates arranging by
phone "to be paid in Macau."
The Spanish government said in late April that it paid no ransom to
secure the release of the crew of the Playa de Bakio after six days of
captivity. But Andrew Mwangura of the Kenya chapter of the Seafarers
Assistance Program then said a ransom of 1.2 million dollars (768,000
euros) was paid.
On Friday, Estonia urged the European Union to take stronger action
against Somali pirates attacking cargo ships bound for Europe, after
an Estonian sailor was held hostage for 41 days.
On Sunday pirates seized a 52,000-tonne Japanese vessel and its 21
crew members off the Somali coast.
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