A Canadian warship is heading to the coast of Somalia to stop pirates from stealing shipments of food aid, Defence Minister Peter MacKay announced Wednesday. Millions of people rely on the aid for their survival.
The region has some of the most dangerous shipping lanes in the world. So far this year, there have been at least 24 pirate attacks on vessels carrying valuable cargo.
"Canada is going to do its part once again," MacKay said in an interview with Â鶹´«Ã½net from New Glasgow, N.S.
He said the move is in keeping with the "compassionate nature of what we try to do around the world."
The Canadian warship HMCS Ville de Quebec was deployed at the request of the United Nations to the coast of Somalia to escort ships carrying much-needed food aid to the East African country. The mission of the Canadian warship, a Halifax class ship with a crew capacity of 225, will be to ensure that vessels from the UN World Food Programme will be able to safely get into port.
"This is indicative of the increasing complexity of the type of international missions for which Canadian Forces personnel are often called upon to perform," explained MacKay.
He described the deteriorating food shortage in Ethiopia as "alarming," and said if supplies are not safely delivered, the situation could become as bad or worse than the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s, which sparked a worldwide response. More than 2.4 million people in Somalia currently rely on food aid.
MacKay said he has faith the Canadian ship's crew will be able to carry out their mission.
"The crew aboard the HMCS Ville de Quebec are very familiar with this type of operation. Providing escort to ships is something that they are highly trained to do and familiar (with)," said MacKay.
This is an international mission, backed by other nations, MacKay said. France, Denmark and the Netherlands have also previously been involved in the effort to escort food ships to Somali ports.
The mere presence of the Canadian warship should be enough to deter some pirates from attacking supply ships, said Rob Huebert, associate director of the Centre forMilitary and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.
"It's going to be a good start," said Huebert, in an interview with Â鶹´«Ã½net on Wednesday.
He said pirates "tend to be some of the most dangerous threats that we have on the open seas."
The end of a civil war in the early 1990s, and the clan fighting that followed, contributed to the collapse of Somalia's state structure. Without a national government and with no visible police authority, piracy has become a big problem in the region.
Some of the pirates represent arms of local warlords, some are fishermen no longer able to make a living, and some of the pirates are opportunists imported from outside the area.
"Basically if anyone shows any type of opposition when being robbed they will be killed," said Huebert. "It's a very bloodthirsty set of crimes."
He explained that it is too early to know if Canadian involvement will disrupt the whole network of pirates active in the Somali seas, but he hopes coalition partners will "pick up the mantle" if necessary.
