A major blow to piracy along the African coast was struck Wednesday when the government of Somalia announced that it was authorizing foreign powers to enter its territorial waters to use force against pirates. A similar edict was handed down in June by the U.N. Security Council when it passed a resolution establishing the rights of nations to send warships into Somalia it prevent piracy, as long as those nations do so with the cooperation of the Somali government.
The declaration comes in response to a recent act of piracy where a Ukrainian ship transporting 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, along with light and heavy weapons was taken hostage by pirates to be held for 20 million dollars in ransom.
The US Navy routinely patrols the waters off of the African coast to reduce piracy, and Russia has sent a warship to offer protection to the few Russian hostages on board the ship, but neither has made any indication that it will be entering Somali waters to attack the pirates.
Several European Union nations also offered Wednesday to join together in creating a patrolling force to help police the increasingly dangerous area. Among those offering to work together are Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. According to the EU charter, however, they cannot take action until a formal EU meeting is held.
A major blow to piracy along the African coast was struck Wednesday when the government of Somalia announced that it was authorizing foreign powers to enter its territorial waters to use force against pirates. A similar edict was handed down in June by the U.N. Security Council when it passed a resolution establishing the rights of nations to send warships into Somalia it prevent piracy, as long as those nations do so with the cooperation of the Somali government.
The declaration comes in response to a recent act of piracy where a Ukrainian ship transporting 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, along with light and heavy weapons was taken hostage by pirates to be held for 20 million dollars in ransom.
The US Navy routinely patrols the waters off of the African coast to reduce piracy, and Russia has sent a warship to offer protection to the few Russian hostages on board the ship, but neither has made any indication that it will be entering Somali waters to attack the pirates.
Several European Union nations also offered Wednesday to join together in creating a patrolling force to help police the increasingly dangerous area. Among those offering to work together are Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. According to the EU charter, however, they cannot take action until a formal EU meeting is held.
