February 26, 2012

Ransom total tops 170 m...

National Post "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday threatened sanctions on anyone blocking reforms intended to end Somalia’s “hopeless, bloody conflict” and counter militant and pirate groups seen as a growing menace to world security." By Adrian Croft and Arshad Mohammed via Reuters

'This comes as it was reported that Somali pirates pulled in $170-million from ransoms in 2011, up from about $110-million in 2010.

'Addressing a conference aimed at energizing attempts to end more than 20 years of anarchy, Clinton also demanded greater efforts to cut funding for al Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab militants fighting Somalia’s weak Transitional Federal Government (TFG).

'Al-Shabab is the most powerful of an array of militias spawned by 20 years of conflict in Somalia, where armed groups have a history of wrecking attempted political settlements and perpetuating war, instability and famine.'

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