Sierra
Leone police say their country's navy broke up a pirate attack on a Chinese
fishing vessel Wednesday this week off the Sierra Leone coast. The police say
the pirates forced the crew to hand over their cargo of fish before security
forces confronted them. Four of eight pirates were reportedly killed.
Francis Munu, Sierra Leone's Assistant
Inspector General of Police for Crime Services told VOAsome of the pirates were Guinean nationals.
"There was a distress call
made by one of the fishing companies based in Freetown, the AFRIC Fishing
Company, that they had information through their radio network that their
fishing vessel had been attacked by pirates. So the message was relayed to the
naval wing of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces who wasted no timing in
going to the scene. They were confronted by the pirates, and in the course of
the exchange of fire, two pirates were killed, four were arrested together with
arms and ammunition. And they have been handed over to the Sierra Leone police
for investigation. Upon inquiry, they were found to be Guineans and only one
Sierra Leonean," he said.
Inspector Munu said the
Chinese fishing vessel is now anchored in Freetown Port pending further
investigation of the attack.
He said this was not the
first time the Sierra Leone navy has had such confrontation with pirates at
sea.
"There was a similar
incident last year in which members of the Guinean Armed Forces were also
arrested. This time again, out of the five people that were arrested four of
them are Guineans, and they all have Guinean addresses. Only one of them is a
Sierra Leonean, but he joined the group in Guinea," Munu said.
He said the Guineans
arrested in previous pirate attacks off the Sierra Leone coast wore Guinean
military attire.
Inspector Munu said West
African governments should be very concerned about the threat of piracy in the
sub-region.
"Governments should be very,
very concerned because with the advent of globalization, crime is now
transcending country borders. And with the information technology, people are
quick to learn and copy what happened in other countries. So although piracy
has existed for a long time in West Africa, yet because of the new wave in the
Indian Ocean, I think West Africans should be very, very concerned. And one
concern is that drugs are also being transported by sea. So if we have this
kind of occurrence at sea, then it should raise a lot of concern," Munu said.
Earlier this year in August, a Cessna Aircraft landed at Sierra Leone's Lungi
International Airport apparently without a landing permit and carrying about
700 kilograms of cocaine.
Munu
said the case against the crew members of the aircraft is still in court.