Hostages Cause Rift Among Pirates

DDG and MSF Hostages Causing Drama Aboard Hijacked MV Albedo

The four foreign aid workers from Danish Demining Group (DDG) and Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) are still on the board of the captive Malaysian tanker MV Albedo.

Somalia Report has learned that the four aid workers, three female and one male, have become the source of a conflict between the pirates on the vessel, especially those holding the vessel.

On January 9 of this year, the two Spanish MSF hostages, Blanca Thiebaut and Montserrat Serra, were purchased from al-Shabaab by pirates, and afterwards transferred on board the hijacked MV Albedo due to pirate fears of a land-based rescue operation. On January 14, the two DDG employees, American Jessica Buchanan and Dane Poul Thisted, were transferred to the Albedofor similar security reasons.

The heads of the gangs responsible for the hostages, Mohamed Abdi Hassan Afweyne (MSF hostages) and Said Harawo (DDG hostages), approached Gushaaye, the leader of the pirate group holding the Albedo, and reportedly offered him a 20% stake in the ……….[access full story at Somalia Report]