By PHILIP MWAKIO

Nairobi,Kenya:Nato mission commander praises Kenya’s military effort in Somalia and cooperation between navies to end vice

The fight against piracy off the Coast of Somalia requires co-operation by the international community, a naval commander of a military alliance has said.

Speaking on board the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) Operation Ocean Shield command flagship, ITS San Marco, at the port of Mombasa yesterday, Rear Admiral Antonio Natale (commander of the Standing Nato Maritime Group 2) said that cooperation of all stakeholders was vital to winning the real war over piracy.

“Naval presence in the Horn of Africa, which also lies on a vital international sea route, has allowed for drastic reduction of piracy attacks decreasing from 129 in 2011 to only 19 in 2012 with figures coming down in the recent past,” Mr Natale, who was flanked by Italian ambassador to Kenya Ms Paolo Imperiale, said.

ITS San Marco has been at Mombasa port for a week and sailed out to return to its area of operation yesterday.  It is expected to conduct sea drills with the Kenya Navy which will be witnessed by a selected group of Kenyan and international journalists.

ITS San Marco is deployed along other ships namely USS Halyburton (US Navy), TCG Gocova (Turkey) and HDMS Huitfeldt ( Netherlands) for the Nato Operation Ocean Shield.

Natale further said that to date there were only two merchant vessels and 54 crew in captivity off the Somali Coast and ashore. The two vessels are Naham 3, a fishing vessel from Oman and Albeda, a cargo ship whose country of origin is Malaysia.

OTHER NAVIES

He said their mission could not have been successful were it not for the cooperation of other navies operating at sea. He further commended the work done by the African Union Mission in Somalia.

“Your very own, the Kenya Defence Force which is part of the Amison unit, has done commendable work in pacifying Somalia and ensuring that normalcy is returned for the Somali people to enjoy normal life just like other people elsewhere where peace prevails,” Natale said.

Ambassador Imperiale said that her Government was committed to ensuring a free Somali and piracy eradicated so as to allow communities to conduct their businesses well and thrive economically.