Brussels, 26/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 23 March, the EU Council confirmed that the European counter-piracy operation, EUNAVFOR Atalanta, would be extended until December 2014. It will henceforth be active along Somali territorial and coastal waters and inshore. From now on, ships taking part in the operation will have the possibility to destroy craft and logistics installations used by Somali pirates on dry land.
The possibility to take “more robust action on the Somali coast”, as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton put it, was first of all endorsed by the Somali government, which informed Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, that it accepted the EU's offer. Exact arrangements have now to be determined. An operations plan is due to be ready within the next few days. It is thus a question of defining what exactly is meant by the shore, and of defining what conditions and what means of intervention should be used on the Somali shore, in order to avoid collateral damage. The other prerogatives of the operation have not changed, although Rear Admiral Duncan Potts, who commands the operation, hinted on Tuesday 20 March that it would be preferable to entrust Vessel Protection Detachments (VPD) with the protection of World Food Programme (WFP) vessels bringing humanitarian aid to Somalia.
Force generation. On Thursday 22 March, defence ministers tackled aspects linked to force generation. Although the last winter period was particularly meagre in terms of capabilities for Operation Atalanta, as Rear Admiral Potts pointed out, numbers are expected to be reinforced during coming weeks. It is thus expected in Brussels that the next force generation conferences will provide clear visibility for the whole of the year 2012, with the assurance of capabilities that are far above the minimum required. Operation Atalanta will thus be reinforced from the end of March and June, from six ships at the present time to ten. This period is particularly propitious for the activity of the Somali pirates as it comes just before the start of the rainy season. According to Rear Admiral Potts, minimum capability will be guaranteed for 2013 also. (JK/transl.jl)