Africa

Pirates prowling the treacherous waters off the Horn of Africa hijacked another merchant ship Tuesday after an oil tanker "Sirius Star" was hijacked on Saturday in the Indian Ocean some 500 miles (800 km) off the coast of Kenya,; Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship "Delight" and its 25-person crew were captured off the coast of Yemen while hauling 36,000 metric tons of wheat to the Iranian port.

In addition to the Sirius Star and Delight, the International Maritime Bureau has reported at least eight other attacks by pirates on shipping in the region since Nov. 10. There are no reliable estimates of the number of pirates operating in Somalia, but they number in the thousands. On Thursday, pirates demanded 25 million dollars in ransom and set a 10-day deadline for the Saudi owned "Sirius Star."

Piracy is generally considered a sure bet to a better life. Despite a beefed-up international presence, the pirates continue to seize ships, moving further out to sea and demanding ever-larger ransoms. The pirates operate mostly from the semi- autonomous Puntland region, where local lawmakers have been accused of helping them and taking a cut of the ransoms.

African Union commission chief said the surge in piracy was a result of worsening security in Somalia; he called for "stronger and more coordinated efforts," to return stability to Somalia, "including a rapid deployment of a United Nations peace force.

The rapid formation of multi national naval forces consisting of UN and others around Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden is only part of a short term solution to the rising pirate activities along international water, what is needed in an already out of control situation is quick action of UN security council on those littoral states along gulf of Aden that provide sanctuary for the pirates, the unwillingness of these countries to stop pirates free passage way and illegal activities within their territorial water.