Conflicting Reports Arise About Role of French Security Firm in Somalia | Voice of America - English
The office of the president of Somalia's transitional federal government says there have been misleading reports regarding an agreement President Abdullahi Yusuf signed last month with a private French military company.  As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, the firm says it has been given an exclusive, three-year mandate to provide maritime security and to train a Somali presidential guard unit.  But President Yusuf's office says he has not signed any such deal.President Abdullahi Yusuf's chief advisor, Abdirizak Adan Hassan, tells VOA that the Somali
President Abdullahi Yusuf's chiefadvisor, Abdirizak Adan Hassan, tells VOA that the Somali leader hasgiven the French company, Secopex, approval to pursue a contract toboost security off the Somali coast, create a coastal intelligenceunit, and to train the president's bodyguards. But Hassan says President Yusuf has not given Secopex exclusive rights to carry out those projects in Somalia. "Whathappened was, this security company approached us and the attitude ofthe president was, 'You know, we cannot go into a contract with you,because we cannot pay you. As long as you can get your own payment andcontract from the rest of the international community - mainly the U.N.,the U.S., the French government - as long as they select you and giveyou the contract and the go-ahead, we do not mind. When you get theirblessing, get back to me. That is when I can say yes or no,'" he said. Mr.Yusuf met Secopex executives during his visit to Paris last month. Thevisit was, in part, to thank the French government for its help in therelease of hostages aboard a hijacked French luxury yacht off the coastof Somalia in April. After a weeklong stand-off, elite French troopsrescued all 30 crew members and captured six Somali pirates. Hassan,who accompanied the president to France, says Mr. Yusuf made clear toSecopex that it would have to bid for the contract, estimated to beworth between $75 million and $150 million annually for the next threeyears. "We just cannot give to one person," he added. "We haveto see different specializations and see which one is more appropriatefor the job." The maritime Indian Ocean Newsletter reports theagreement is not binding in that it does not oblige the Somaligovernment to pay for Secopex's services. The newsletter says it hasdocuments that show that the agreement signed in Paris gives the Frenchcompany an exclusive 36-month mandate to carry out its project. Inan interview with the Agence France Presse news agency last week,Secopex's chief executive, Pierre Marziali, also spoke as if hiscompany had secured the contract. He told AFP that Secopexwill be conducting an audit of existing facilities in Somalia todetermine the contract amount, and that the successful rescue of theyacht's crew had played a part in the signing of the deal with theSomali leader. Founded in 2003, Secopex is composed ofspecialists from elite French military units and other governmentsecurity agencies. It specializes in providing private militaryservices to sovereign states. The office of Somali PrimeMinister Nur Hassan Hussein declined to comment about the deal, sayingthe matter was still under discussion. More than 30 pirateattacks have been recorded off the Somali coast this year. Earlier thismonth, the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolutionauthorizing foreign warships to enter Somali waters with the consent ofthe government to combat piracy and armed robbery at sea.