Dominic Wabala And Agencies
12 October 2008
Nairobi — Pirates holding the Ukrainian ship carrying arms cargo are reported to have rejected mediated talks.
The pirates are reported to have earlier agreed to discuss freeing the mv Faina they hijacked 18 days ago, but later refused as they are not happy with some of the local mediators.
"The talks between pirates and ship owners stopped after the pirates insisted Somali brokers be removed from the process," an elder in Harardhare, Ahmed Hasan, said.
The hijackers are reported to have agreed on a $10 million (Sh700 million) ransom.
The pirates had on Friday threatened to blow up the vessel carrying 33 tanks on Monday night if ransom was not paid.
In another case, a pirate has been killed and two others injured as authorities in Somalia's Puntland region launched a campaign to stop piracy in their territory.
The bandits
Although security forces attacked the pirates who recently hijacked a Panama-flagged ship mv Wael, the bandits continued to hold the vessel.
One soldier is also reported to have been killed during the rescue operation.
A minister for the semi-autonomous Puntland region Ali Abdi Aware said government security forces engaged the pirates who are aboard the ship carrying cement.
The soldiers seized two of the pirates' speed boats during the operation, but the bandits are still on board, holding nine Syrians and two Somalis hostage.
Mv Wael was hijacked last Thursday, hours after North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ministers declared they would send seven warships to join six US Navy warships that have surrounded the Mv Faina.
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