Русская версияDistrict Commissioner Yusuf Jama said the couple, identified only
as Juergen and Sabine, were released Friday and were in the port
town of Bosasso in the semi-autonomous Puntland.
The couple, both in their fifties, were said to be in poor health
-- particularly Juergen, who suffers from diabetes.
The two Germans
were expected to fly to Nairobi, the capital of neighboring Kenya,
later on Saturday to catch a flight home.
The German embassy in Nairobi, however, refused to confirm or deny
this report.
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Puntland lies in the northern part of Somalia
Pirates abducted the couple from their yacht off the lawless Horn
of Africa nation's coast on June 23. They took them into a nearby
mountain range and demanded a ransom of $2 million (1.33 million
euros) for their release. The official position is that the pirates
were paid a million-dollar ransom, but it is not clear who paid the
money.
However, a mediator close to the deal told DPA news agency in
Nairobi that the pirates received only $600,000 dollars, while the
Puntland authorities received $400,000.
Piracy on the increase
The release comes after two Italian aid workers with the
organization Italian Cooperation North-South (CINS) were freed
earlier in the week after being seized in May. A ransom of $1
million was reportedly paid to secure their release.
Piracy is rife off the coast of Somalia. Cargo ships and luxury
yachts have been targeted by heavily armed pirates, who often hold
the crews for ransom.
The number of attacks has risen sharply this year, and the United
Nations Security Council approved incursions into Somali waters to
halt the trend.
Somalia's weak transitional government, currently engaged in
countering a bloody insurgency, is powerless to stop the pirates.
Somalia has been in a state of anarchy since the overthrow of
dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
(Deutsche Welle)
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