E-MAIL THIS LINK
To: 

Mozambique: Anti-piracy drive paying off
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Mozambique has said joint efforts with neighbouring countries to fight piracy in its waters are paying off.

Regional powerhouse South Africa last year deployed an anti-piracy frigate to the Mozambican waters in a bid to ward off threats from Somali pirates.

"At the moment we see a trend downwards. We hope this trend continues but if it grows we want to be able to improve the quality of our reaction," Mozambican Defence Minister Filipe Nyusi told AFP.

Military representatives from Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania met in Maputo on Wednesday to work on details of an agreement signed in Dar es Salaam last February.

They aim to pool their resources to secure the coastlines of Mozambique, India and the Horn of Africa.

"We are using what each country has. Some ships from South Africa, some of our own and some from Tanzania. We are also involving the air force," said Nyusi.

Mozambican navy does not have a warship equipped to combat pirates in the deep ocean. South Africa's supply vessel, the SS Drakensberg currently patrols the Mozambican channel.

Posted by: Fred 2012-05-17
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=344798