Pirates Release Government Minister

Puntland’s Fisheries and Seaports Minister Said Mohamed Rage and his staff have been set free, two days after their convoy made its way through pirate territory.

On Monday, a gunfight insued when pirates attacked the ministers convoy as it was headed for Garaad, a well-known pirate haven in central Somalia.

Pirates reportedly ambushed the minister’s convoy because they thought he was there to expel them from their coastal base. One of the minister’s guards and a civilian bystander were killed in the attack.

The minister was traveling to the well-known pirate base to meet with local elites about eradicating piracy in the region.

Somali officials say that senior members of the community negotiated the ministers release and no ransom was paid.

Puntland declared self-autonomy from Somalia in 1998, and since then has become a hub for many pirates who use the state’s coast as a launching pad to hijack ships travelling through the international shipping lanes.

Recently the state announced its vow to end piracy in the region. With this pledge they have put many captured pirates on trial, sentencing them to long prison terms.