Wednesday, December 26, 2012
By ABDULKADIR KHALIF
Somali pirates stationed in parts of Mudug region are threatening to kill hostages they have been holding since January 2011, reports indicate.
The pirates picked up the hostages from a ship they attacked and hijacked.
Reports reaching Mogadishu from Central Somalia indicated that the pirates had failed to secure ransom payment for the release of the hostages.
The ship crew members who were at the mercy of the pirates were said to be Philippine nationals and were being detained on the mainland.
Others reports indicated that the pirates killed the captain of Danish ship mv Leopard named Eddy Lopez from Chile.
He was also reportedly in the hands of the pirates for nearly two years.
The report comes at a time international maritime agencies and the media were stating that the Somali pirates had not hijacked any ships over the last six months.
The pirates have not been known to kill hostages for ransom and the latest development could be a dangerous new trend.
Last week, the local media stated that the European Union, Nato and other members of the naval task force had enormous impact on the pirates.
The sea gangs, according to reports, were keeping five ships and 165 crew members.