Donors say poverty prompts Somalian piracy

More than 190 million euros have been pledged to help security and stability in Somalia. The money was raised at a specially-convened conference in Brussels. But some of the donor countries, including France, told euronews more must be done. Hervé Morin, France’s Defence Minister said:

“We are treating the consequences rather than the causes (of Somali piracy). The most important one is the collapse of the Somali state and the absence of Somali institutions.” Morin added that poverty was also a cause: “For a fisherman who earns one dollar a day, it is tempting to go into piracy – piracy is a part of organised crime,” he said. Two decades of anaarchy have left Somalia with no functioning government, an ineffectual police force and little in the way of a coast guard. The international community has a vested interest in helping the small African government. The seizure of ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean by pirates has driven up insurance rates and other costs in vital sea lanes linking Europe to Asia.More about: Somalia

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