Germany extends anti-piracy mission off Somalia (Deutsche Welle)
The German parliament has decided to extend its mission to prevent piracy off the coast of Somalia. However, the maximum number of personnel who can be involved remains capped.
Somali pirates release Greek-owned ship, crew (The Champaign News-Gazette)
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) Somali pirates have released a Greek-owned ship and its 21 crew members, including 14 Filipinos, after more than a month in captivity, the Philippine government and the ship’s owner said Friday. The embassy of the Philippines in Nairobi reported that the MV Delvina was heading to Mombasa with its crew, who were safe and in good health. Foreign Affairs spokesman Ed Malaya …
Dutch release Somalia ‘pirates’ (BBC News)
A group of suspected Somali pirates held on a Dutch warship will be freed because no country wants to prosecute them.
Somalia : Meeting to Open in Central Somalia (AllAfrica.com)
Somalia High meeting organized by the Islamist clerics of Ahlu Sunna waljama’a is supposed to be opened in Abudwaq district in central Somalia, officials said on Friday.
Somalia’s Shebab loot UN compounds (AFP via Yahoo! News)
Somalia’s Al Qaeda-linked Shebab overran and looted UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) compounds in the western town of Baidoa, humanitarian sources and witnesses said Friday.
Somali Pirates Release Greek Cargo Ship In Indian Ocean (INO News)
(RTTNews) – Pirates have freed a Greek cargo ship and its 21-member crew after a 43-day ordeal off the coast of Somalia. The container vessel MV Delvina had been sailing from Ukraine to Mombassa in Kenya when it was hijacked northeast of the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean on November 5.
Somali Islamist group banns UN mine agency (People’s Daily)
The radical Islamist group of Al-Shabaab in Somalia on Thursday banned the operations of UN Mine Action agency in areas under the movement’s control in southern Somalia. The group, which has previously banned the work of other UN agencies, accused Mine Action of paying the salaries Somali government police force and of attempting to disrupt “the peace and justice” in areas under their control in …
World urged to help stabilize Somalia (People’s Daily)
A UN-backed international meeting on Somalia has called on the world community to support initiatives aimed at stabilizing the Horn of Africa nation which has had no central government for almost two decades. In a communique issued following a day-long International Contact Group (ICG)’s meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the meeting called on the international community to offer practical and …
Pirate ransoms drive up prices in Somalia (Tri-Valley Dispatch)
BOSSASO, Somalia A parcel of land here that sold for $12,000 two years ago now costs more than $20,000. The price of a nice pair of men s shoes has gone up from $20 to $50.
14 Filipino seamen freed by Somali pirates (People’s Daily)
Fourteen Filipino seafarers on board a Greek vessel was freed by ransom-seeking Somali pirates this week, the Philippine embassy in Nairobi reported Friday. The Filipino crew of MV Delvina are “safe and in good health.” The vessel and its crew are now heading to Mombasa. The latest release has reduced the number of hijacked Filipino seafarers off the coast of Somalia to 56, involving five …
Town’s secret helped save captive in Somalia (Toronto Star)
For more than a year, the residents of Sylvan Lake kept their lips sealed and their wallets open to help bring Amanda Lindhout home to her family.
