November 25, 2008
MOGADISHU: Tension mounted yesterday between pirates holding a Saudi tanker and Islamist fighters threatening to attack them, with a week remaining for the ship's owners to meet a $US25million ($40million) ransom demand.
"If the pirates want peace, they had better release the tanker," said Sheik Ahmed, a spokesman for the Shebab group in the coastal region of Harardhere.
The Shebab (youth) armed group, which controls much of southern and central Somalia and rejects an internationally backed peace process, has positioned fighters in and around Harardhere in recent days.
The Sirius Star, a tanker carrying about $US100million worth of crude oil and owned by Saudi Aramco, was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on November 15. Pirates have anchored it off their base in Harardhere, north of Mogadishu, and demanded the ransom be paid by November 30.
Islamist leaders have stressed that piracy is a capital offence under Islam and condemned the surge in acts of piracy in Somalia's waters. Mohamed Said, a member of the pirate group holding the Sirius Star, retorted that his men were not afraid of the Shebab's threats.
Some Harardhere residents have argued the Shebab are divided over the issue of piracy and that some of the Islamist fighters have moved in only to claim a share of the ransom.
Members of the pirate group said talks were under way with Saudi Aramco's shipping arm and gave assurances that the crew would not be harmed.
The capture of the Sirius Star, the biggest ship ever hijacked, has caused panic in the shipping world. Companies are now re-routing deliveries via the Cape of Good Hope.
MOGADISHU: Tension mounted yesterday between pirates holding a Saudi tanker and Islamist fighters threatening to attack them, with a week remaining for the ship's owners to meet a $US25million ($40million) ransom demand.
"If the pirates want peace, they had better release the tanker," said Sheik Ahmed, a spokesman for the Shebab group in the coastal region of Harardhere.
The Shebab (youth) armed group, which controls much of southern and central Somalia and rejects an internationally backed peace process, has positioned fighters in and around Harardhere in recent days.
The Sirius Star, a tanker carrying about $US100million worth of crude oil and owned by Saudi Aramco, was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on November 15. Pirates have anchored it off their base in Harardhere, north of Mogadishu, and demanded the ransom be paid by November 30.
Islamist leaders have stressed that piracy is a capital offence under Islam and condemned the surge in acts of piracy in Somalia's waters. Mohamed Said, a member of the pirate group holding the Sirius Star, retorted that his men were not afraid of the Shebab's threats.
Some Harardhere residents have argued the Shebab are divided over the issue of piracy and that some of the Islamist fighters have moved in only to claim a share of the ransom.
Members of the pirate group said talks were under way with Saudi Aramco's shipping arm and gave assurances that the crew would not be harmed.
The capture of the Sirius Star, the biggest ship ever hijacked, has caused panic in the shipping world. Companies are now re-routing deliveries via the Cape of Good Hope.
Source: The Australian
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