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Sep 30, 2008, 8:49 GMT

UN official compares piracy to blood diamond trade

Nairobi - Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the United Nations' special representative in Somalia, in a statement published in Nairobi compared acts of piracy off Somalia's coast to the trafficking in so-called blood diamonds during the civil war in Liberia and Sierra Leone. The modern piracy in the Somali waters around the Horn of Africa has become 'a multi-million-dollar business attracting many Somalis,' who were using 'various political or social covers for their illegal activities.' In the statement issued in Kenya's capital, he said that 'no ship, big or small, industrial or commercial, civil or military' was spared, adding that 'with the seizure of the Ukrainian ship, a new line has been crossed.' Ukrainian cargo ship MS Faina, carrying 30 tanks, was attacked by pirates last Thursday. Three vessels, including a US Navy warship, have been blocking the captured ship, but have restrained from attempts to forcefully free the Ukrainian ship and its crew. A spokesman for the pirates warned that nobody on board would survive a rescue attempt. Two Malaysian ships were released over the last two days after a large ransom was paid. Pirates are still detaining a dozen ships and roughly 200 crew members.

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