UN Special Representative for Somalia Asks Government to Intervene with Hijackers of Humanitarian Food Shipment

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Nairobi - 2 September 2005: The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia (SRSG), Francois Lonseny Fall, today called on the President and Prime Minister of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) for urgent help to resolve the hijacking of a humanitarian aid ship, now in the hands of pirates since 27 June.

“This further imposition on the victims of last December's Tsunami has dragged on far too long,” he said. “Some 30,000 people in Somalia's northeastern coastal communities are dependent on a continuous flow of food assistance.”

Mr. Fall said it was a tribute to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) that the initial interruption of supply caused by the ship's capture had been overcome. However, he said he was greatly concerned for the safety of the ship's crew of eight Kenyans, a Tanzanian engineer and a Sri Lankan Captain, as well as for the security of the vessel and its humanitarian cargo.

The MV Semlow, its crew and 850 metric tons of rice, are being held roughly two miles off the coast of Haradhere. It was on route to the northeastern port of Bossaso in Puntland. From there food aid is shipped overland to Hafun, where the boats, villages and livelihoods of fishing communities were swept away by the tsunami.

Numerous appeals have been made for the release of the vessel, food stocks and crew and Mr. Fall made a direct request for assistance to Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Gedi and President Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed, on August 18 and 19 respectively. In letters to both leaders this week, Mr. Fall said it now appeared that the pirates were from the Haradhere area. He expressed the hope that the problem will be resolved as soon as possible.

The WFP Country Director for Somalia (Mr. Robert Hauser) said that he was “extremely pleased” at the intervention of Mr. Fall, urging the Transitional Federal Government to resolve this issue.

For more information please contact: UN Political Office for Somalia(Nairobi, Kenya) Tel. +254 20 762 21 31 Please visit: www.UN-Somalia.org