Somalia authorities urged to 'take action'
NAIROBI (AFP)
Amnesty International on Friday appealed to Somali authorities to help free scores of hostages seized by pirates off the dangerous coast of the Horn of Africa nation.
The London-based human rights group said hijackers were detaining more than 130 crew members of ships captured in Somalia's pirate-infested waters.
Since the end of July, 10 vessels have been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden north of the lawless country, where a French sailing boat with two French nationals and an Egyptian cargo ship with 25 crew members were seized this week.
The watchdog urged Somali authorities to "take action to ensure the safe release of more than 130 individuals currently detained by Somali pirates in Puntland, Somalia."
It also called on them to "use their influence to ensure that detainees are given immediate and regular access to all necessary medical care and to adequate supplies of water and food," according to a statement.
Somalia is the world's piracy hotspot. The latest incidents bring the number of attacks on ships off its coast to 41 this year, most of which occurred in the Gulf of Aden, according to the International Maritime Bureau.