Gitte Lillelund Bech, the Danish minister of defence, has revealed that Danish soldiers could soon be heading to the African east and west coasts to help prevent the development of more piracy, as has been an issue in Somalia.
The navy’s warships have over the past two years been involved in the hunt for Somali pirates off the coast of Africa, but Bech at the weekend said that this is not a long term solution, and that there needs to be taken steps to prevent piracy in other countries.
 She wants Danish soldiers in Africa to set up coast guards, and to help African nations implement fishing controls, as it is believed that most Somali pirates were originally fishermen who turned to piracy after other nations emptied the Somali waters of fish.
The minister is eager to send soldiers off within one to two years, to especially Benin, Togo and the Ivory Coast on Africa’s west coast, and Kenya, Tanzania and Madagascar on the east coast.
Funds for the mission will reportedly come from a special pool consisting of 205 million kroner annually, which was set aside for the military for the 2010- 14 time period for capacity development.
Danish soldiers are used to long-distance postings. Over the past few years they have been sent out to Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq and Lebanon.
Follow us on Facebook
