Warning as pirates buy Libyan arms

Somali pirates have acquired sophisticated weapons including mines and shoulder-held missile launchers from Libya and are likely to use them in attacks on shipping, a senior maritime security analyst has warned.

“We found that Libyan weapons are being sold in what is the world’s biggest black market for illegal gun smugglers, and Somali pirates are among those buying from sellers in Sierra Leone, Liberia and other countries,” said Judith van der Merwe, of the African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism.

“We believe our information is credible and know that some of the pirates have acquired ship mines, as well as Stinger and other shoulder-held missile launchers,” she added during an Indian Ocean naval conference yesterday.

After Libya’s ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi was killed by rebels, weaponry from his well-stocked arsenals made its way on to the black market, Ms van der Merwe said.

She added that the information had been gathered from interviews with gun smugglers, pirates and other sources.

Pirates operating from the Somali coast have raked in millions of pounds in ransoms from hijacking ships. A report in 2011 estimated that maritime piracy cost the global economy between $7 billion (£4.4bn) and $12bn through higher shipping costs and ransom payments.