At the recent North Atlantic Council (NAC) meeting in Brussels, Foreign and Defence Ministers agreed to extend NATO’s counter piracy naval operation in the Horn of Africa until 2014. Later that week, European Union Foreign Ministers also agreed to extend their operations until 2014 and, more significantly, expand their anti-piracy mission in the region to coastal territory and internal waters.
NATO’s statement on 19 March affirms that the NAC decision to extend Operation Ocean Shield “reflects NATO’s enduring commitment to counter the threat of piracy that exists in the Gulf of Aden and in the Western Indian Ocean. Working with the maritime community, individual nations and the US and EU-led counter piracy operations, NATO’s naval effort is making a difference, with the number of successful pirate hijacking down significantly in 2012” and goes on to present the statistics and details to support it.
The NAC decided to continue to limit its missions to sea operations. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen added, “Our message to the pirates is clear, your ability to threaten shipping is diminishing and NATO resolve is not going away.”
Just four days later, EU policy was extended and amended to include intervention along the Somali coastline and on land. This could include the use of helicopters and warships to target suspected pirate vessels at moorings, their support vehicles and fuel depots. Apparently, Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government has accepted the EU’s offer for greater collaboration in combating piracy. The EU statement said, “Today’s decision will enable Operation Atalanta Forces to work directly with the Transitional Federal Government and other Somali entities to support their fight against piracy in the coastal areas.”
Germany had earlier voiced reservations to expanding Operation Atalanta (EUNAVFOR) but their concerns appear to have been overcome with reassurances that troops will not be put ashore and that any actions will be limited to support activities close to where suspect vessels are moored. It was pointed out that the expanded EU mandate will have to be put before theBundestag, the German parliament, for approval.
However, Spiegel Online reported that the expanded policy could face political opposition in Berlin due to fears that EU troops could be dragged into fighting on the ground in support of air attacks which will be permitted up to two kilometres inland. Apparently, the limit was the subject of prolonged debate in Brussels. Germany is one of the few contributing countries that has helicopters on board its ships with the capability required for accurate and destructive targeting. Germany’s foreign intelligence agency, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), has raised concerns about the possibility of mistaken targeting and the potential for civilian casualties.
The German Navy has just completed a joint naval exercise with the South African Navy called Exercise Good Hope. The exercise is held every two years and this was the fifth one, although, for budgetary reasons, there were fewer vessels involved than in previous years and efforts were concentrated on anti-piracy operations.
Russia too has just participated in a joint anti-piracy exercise with the Seychelles Coast Guard. Russian warships have been involved in anti-piracy patrols off the Somali coast since October 2008. Russia escort ships have worked with NATO and other nations escorting ships under the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) since 2009.
As well as the NATO-led Operation Ocean Shield and EU-led Operation Atalanta, there is the Combined Taskforce 151 which is American-led. China, India, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea all have ships off the East African coast. Now NATO and Russia have agreed to work more cooperatively in the region:
NATO and Russia agree that countering piracy is a common security challenge and have agreed to explore ways to strengthen cooperation in this area under the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) Work Programme for 2012. Building on limited military tactical cooperation off the Horn of Africa, they are seeking to strengthen information exchange and coordination and considering possible mutual support, such as refuelling and medical assistance, for ships involved in counter-piracy operations.
A London conference on Somalia in February brought together 55 nations and international organisations, with the UN-backed Transitional Federal Government, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. More help was pledged to combat terrorism and piracy and a joint statement called for the dissolution of the weak transitional government that holds power in Mogadishu and in a limited amount of territory outside the capital, with the help of African Union and Ethiopian troops. Following up on this conference, UK Minister for Africa and Overseas Territories, Henry Bellingham, visited Mogadishu on 27h March and confirmed Britain’s commitment to supporting Somalia. “It is absolutely crucial that we see progress on the constitutional process, particularly the National Constituent Assembly, so that the transition can end in August,” he said.
The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Somaliland, Dr Mohamed A. Omar, met on 22 March with the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament. Aware that EU member states are significantly affected by Somali piracy, he noted, “We are fully engaged with the international community in the fight against terrorism and piracy.”