Kenya’s Mwai Kibaki appeals to the world to help stop fighting in Somali and piracy.

By John Chola – 11/08/09

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has made a passionate appeal to the international community to get more involved in stopping the fighting in Somalia.

Mr. Kibaki has also urged the international community to help fight the problem of piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Mr. Kibaki said in Lusaka yesterday that a serious security situation still prevail in Somalia and related to it is the piracy problem.

Mr. Kibaki says the fighting in Somali and the problem of piracy are a matter of international concern and have continued to impact negatively on the regional and international trade.

He says the insecurity problem in the horn of Africa possess a great danger to the environment.

Piracy attacks around the world more than doubled to 240 from 114 during the first six months of this year compared with the same period in 2008.

This is according to a report of the ICC International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB) released in July.

Mr. Kibaki says a look at the human development shows a region faced with the most serious challenges of poverty, hunger, disease and environmental degradation.

He says almost all the problems faced by the horn of Africa are as a result of conflicts.

Mr. Kibaki was in Zambia to attend the third summit of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).

Ends.