MOGADISHU, Somalia — Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni accused foreign countries of backing Somali pirate groups and seeking to exploit marine resources off the semi-autonomous region’s coast.
Speaking in Garacad, Deni said Puntland would not allow the fight against piracy to be used as a pretext for deploying foreign forces along its coastline.
He said he feared Puntland could be portrayed as incapable of dealing with piracy, creating justification for foreign troops to intervene.
“They want to say that Puntland has failed to defend itself against piracy, and then deploy troops along the coast to extract our resources,” Deni said.
He said Puntland has the capacity to combat piracy and rejected the idea that foreign military operations should be conducted along its coast.
Deni also referred to previous operations by foreign countries and forces along Somalia’s coastline. He alleged that during the period when the international community was conducting operations against piracy, Somalia’s marine resources were exploited and depleted.
The Puntland leader said residents would not accept a situation in which local people were killed during operations carried out in the name of fighting piracy.
Deni called on Puntland residents and the international community to recognize the administration’s efforts to combat piracy.
He said Puntland would oppose any attempt to use piracy as a justification for foreign interference or the exploitation of the region’s resources.
Puntland officials have previously accused Somalia’s federal government of contributing to the resurgence of piracy. Pirate activity has reportedly increased along parts of Somalia’s coastline in recent months.