UN Approves Piracy Crackdown

Neil Richard Leslie | December 03, 2008

The United Nations Security Council has renewed its authorization for the use of military force against Somali pirates. This comes after SC Resolution 1838 enacted on October 7 which urged states to commit naval and air assets to the fight against rampant piracy off lawless Somalia. Al Jazeera:

The US-drafted resolution, which was adopted unanimously, extends for one year the right of countries with permission from Somalia's transitional government to pursue and attack pirates in Somali waters. "The international community is sending a very strong signal of its determination to deal with piracy," said Jean-Maurice Ripert, the French ambassador to the UN.

The EU is set to send warships to patrol Somalia's Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean waters, where a rise in piracy is threatening to stifle one of the world's busiest maritime trade routes. "We think it will act both as a deterrent and also [provide] some immediate capacity to follow on and pursue pirates, if we can catch them," Ripert said.

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The European mission is aimed at protecting ships that carry World Food Programme supplies to feed about three million Somalis who depend on food aid, as well as escorting shipping frigates in the area. The naval force, backed by patrolling aircraft, will be commanded by British forces.

There have been 95 pirate attacks off Somalia so far this year, a 75% increase over 2007.