Somali Soldiers Search for Kidnapped Sailors

by Sail-World Cruising News Roundup on 23 Jul 2008 Conflicting reports are still coming in about the fate of the German sailing family who have now been in the hands of Somali pirates for a month. Here is a round-up of the latest news:

Der Spiegel magazine has been in touch by mobile telephone with the two German cruising sailors who were kidnapped on 23rd June from their yacht when they were trying to reach Thailand from the Red Sea. Reports have been constantly conflicting as to whether there is also a child and a French Captain being held. The yacht was reportedly abandoned on the shore, and the pirates are demanding a ransom.

The couple are reported to be Mr. Juergan Kantiner and Ms. Sabine Merck. They were quoted as saying that they were being held in the bush by between 40 and 50 Somalis, and appealed to the German Embassy to do more to secure their release. They have said that they are ill, have little to eat and fear for their lives.

Der Spiegel give a horrifying account of the actions of the pirates. 'We didn't have a lot of money and so they didn't find much,' Sabine Merck told Der Spiegel.

'But the kidnappers didn't believe us,' she added. 'They wrapped a sail around Juergen's neck and wanted to hang him. I put myself in the way and said they should shoot both of us.'

Juergen Kantiner is a diabetic and unable to take his insulin due to a lack of syringes, and Sabine now weighs 40kg, having lost 20kg.

Der Spiegel was apparently able to contact the sailors through intermediary Andrew Mwangura, director of the Seafarers Assistance Programme, who has become a key intermediary in the confused Somalia situation.

According to The National, when a ship is hijacked in the Indian Ocean, governments, this is the man that shipping companies and aid agencies call.

Mr Mwangura is an expert in piracy in the region, especially off the coast of Somalia, and his aid group has been involved in securing the release of 90 per cent of the vessels taken captive there.

'We talk to the pirates and hear what they want,' he told The National.

Working from a small office in Mombasa, the largest port on the steamy coast of East Africa, Mr Mwangura and nine volunteers use their contacts in the maritime world to locate missing ships. The organisation does not have fancy radar or satellite tracking software like some government security agencies. A few mobile phones and a radio are all they need.

'We can’t afford equipment, but we work better than those who have all of the equipment,' Mr Mwangura says. 'People don’t trust the government; they trust us. That’s why they contact us first.'

Piracy in Somalia started out as a group of local fishermen protecting their territorial fishing waters, but has evolved into a commercial enterprise as some companies pay up to US$2 million in ransom to secure the release of their boats.

'In the beginning, the pirates were fighting for their rights,' Mr Mwangura says. 'They only targeted fishing vessels. Once they started getting paid, they started hijacking other vessels. Illegal fishing is the root cause of piracy in Somalia.'

The pirates are well organised, well armed and well funded, he adds.

'The ones holding the guns on the boats, they are just young boys; they are not pirates. The real pirates are living in big houses in Canada, the UK and here in Mombasa. It’s a well-organised syndicate.'

Mr Mwangura claims that Somalis living abroad are funding and arming bands of pirates. These wealthy backers take most of the ransom money while the pirates who take the hostages get a few hundred dollars.

'We are trying to tell people to please stop paying ransom,' Mr Mwangura says. 'When you pay them, you are collaborating with them. Paying them encourages them.'

'The pirates have realised that hijacking of vessels is a very lucrative business. That has made them a bit more bold in their actions. Paying large ransoms has enticed them to carry out attacks even more.'

Mr Mwangura helped negotiate the release of the 30-member crew of a French luxury yacht, Le Ponant, which Somali pirates held for seven days in April. The ship’s owner was reported to have paid a $2m ransom.

After the crew was released, French commandos raided the ship, arrested six of the pirates and recovered part of the ransom money.

However, the UN resolution authorising foreign Navies to chase pirates in Somali waters has failed to intimidate Somali pirates, Mr Mwangura says. 'Within two weeks [of the resolution passing], they hijacked three ships and demanded more money than ever before, and they were paid.' The pirates, he says, 'were sending a message that the resolution doesn’t mean anything to them'.

While Mr Mwangura appears able to contact the pirates holding the German couple at will, which he reportedly did for der Spiegel, Somali soldiers in the country's semiautonomous state of Puntland are now searching for the couple and the pirates who kidnapped them.

Col. Abdullahi Anshur, Puntland army commander in Sanaag, confirmed to Garowe Online that the troops are searching for Jorgan Kantiner and Sebina Merck (sic).

The commander indicated that the Puntland security forces have 'evidence' regarding the whereabouts of the kidnapped couple, but he declined to elaborate.

Both Puntland and the neighboring separatist republic of Somaliland claim control over Sanaag, with locals saying the kidnapping has allowed the regional authorities to resume military hostilities in Sanaag region.

In the meantime, Mareeg.com announces that the German government has announced plans to forcefully rescue its nationals, 'the way French did'.

The German government has disclosed that its warship called was currently on Somali coast. The warship will take part in a planned operation aimed at rescuing the German family held in the mountainous areas of Las Qoray District in Puntland.

The German government officials also told Mareeg online that another unidentified, but well-armed ship accompanied this warship.