The international community is beginning to withdraw into Somali waters. Somalia has just refused to allow the UN to extend its authorization for warships to fight pirates off its coast for one year. It is only finally for 3 months that this authorization has been renewed for the moment.
With our correspondent in New York, Carrie Nooten
After a few weeks of negotiations, the Security Council voted for a much shorter renewal of the anti-piracy authorization. While no pirate attack has taken place for 4 years, Somalia wanted to recover the full sovereignty of its national waters, fearing that a militarization of its coasts would set in over time.
Mogadishu thus demanded that this measure be renewed for only two months. It will ultimately be for three. France deplored the too short delay: the fight against piracy is ensured by the United States and Europe – but the European operation Atalante would need more time according to Paris to prevent a security vacuum from emerging. created following a precipitous departure, while its mission is scheduled for the end of 2022.
But the pressure is strong in Somalia: the electoral campaign pushes the authorities to put forward national sovereignty, reducing the room for action in New York.