India must help us fight piracy, terror: Ethiopian Dy PM (Interview)

NEW DELHI - Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn has sought India’s help and a more pro-active role in addressing the twin problem of terrorism and piracy in the east African region, calling it a serious global issue.

Desalegn, on a five-day visit to India since Tuesday, said the problem was particularly serious in Sudan — a country in which Indian companies have major stakes in oil and energy projects and with which Ethiopia shares a long border on the west.

“Sudan is now a safe haven for terrorism and it is a global issue, not a regional issue alone. So, I request India’s cooperation to resolve it,” Desalegn, who also oversees his country’s foreign office, told IANS in an interview.

He referred to the alleged human rights violations and possible trans-national terrorism in Darfur and said there must be a neutral global intervention into these issues by the international community, and New Delhi must play a meaningful role on the subject.

“If all nations have neutral position and work jointly to resolve the problem only then can Sudan decide what it wants - cessation or unity,” said Desalegn, who earlier served as dean of Arba Minch Water Technology Institute, some 500 km south of Addis Ababa.

Several nations in the north and east African region have been asking New Delhi to also play on a more a pro-active role in resolving the problems in Somalia — another country bordering Ethiopia in the east.

Piracy off the Somali coast is also a threat to Ethiopia — a landlocked country in the horn of Africa which depends on its coastal neighbours, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia, for trade via waterways.

In view of increasing incidents of piracy in the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Navy commenced anti-piracy patrols in October 2008 and since then it has continuously maintained one ship in the region. Thus far, 23 vessels have been deputed for this tour of duty.

The Indian Navy spokesman said these ships have thwarted 23 piracy attempts and ensured safe passage of 1,415 merchantmen of various nationalities across the pirate infested waters in the region. Not a single ship under its escort has been hijacked to date.

In fact, between Nov 24 and 29, the spokesman added, a sudden spurt of piracy attempts was reported in the Arabian sea area at distances of 350-700 nautical miles from the west coast of India.

“There should be a naval blockade and no fly zone order over Somalia. The root problem of piracy is in inland Somalia not the sea. We are telling the world to solve the issue of Somalia first before going at solving issue in the sea,” Desalegn said.

“The global community must help to address the problems caused by Al-Shabab. The threats of terrorism has now led to piracy in the Indian Ocean, which is affecting international shipment,” he said, referring to the Wahabi extremist movement in Somalia.

(Lakshmi Krishnakumar can be reached at Lakshmi.k@ians.in)