Help Somalia combat piracy

The first EU land action against Somali pirates was a welcome development as the European Union Naval Force (EU Navfor) used its expanded mandate for the first time to attack pirate bases on the Somali coast, which has become a safe haven where the pirates can auction their hostages and sell off their booty.

Somalia's national structures have collapsed into vicious tribal fighting. Therefore it is important that military action against pirates runs alongside a concerted effort to rebuild the civil structures of Somalia, which was the topic of a conference in London in February when over 40 nations pledged to support nation building.

In Somaliland in the north west, and Puntland in the northeast, there are functioning local governments, which have established some order for their people. The problem is in the huge territories of the south where the dysfunctional Transitional Federal Government is backed by a military mission from the African Union against its powerful rival, the Islamist group Al Shabab. This is where a new start is urgent, and it is important that the valuable success of EU Navfor is matched by support for rebuilding effective government in Somalia.