Somali pirates move UK yachting couple further inland

Paul and Rachel Chandler, the British couple that was kidnapped by Somali pirates over a week ago when sailing from the Seychelles to Tanzania, have been moved further inland by their hostage takers.

Yesterday, Reuters reported that the couple, both in their fifties, had been moved deeper into central Somalia after a row between rival pirate gangs. According to the press agency, one pirate had said that they had agreed on a $7 million ransom for the Britons. Another pirate had said that a ransom would only be decided upon once the couple were in a secure place on land.

"We understand that the two British people were driven to Bahda town which is about 60 km away from here," resident Farhan Bashir told Reuters by phone from Adado, in central Somalia.

The Chandlers were heading for Tanzania in their yacht the 'Lynn Rival' when they disappeared on last week Friday after firing a distress signal at 23:00 BST. The route they had chosen is near Somali waters, which are notorious for pirate attacks on ships and smaller boats. Earlier that week, the BBC reported of recent pirate activity. At first, allegations of a possible pirate attack were denied but after a few days there was no doubt about what had had happened to the Britons. Somali pirates have plagued the busy shipping lanes that run along the Somali coast for the past years. It is estimated that these groups, which are armed to the teeth, have targeted over 130 merchant vessels and have made $150 million in ransoms in 2008. Currently, warships from 16 nations are patrolling the area to try and prevent hijackings, but the sea gangs are now hunting for ships far into the Indian Ocean. Due to the extremely volatile situation, Somalia is one of the most dangerous countries to be - for locals but also for foreigners. Over the past year, several foreign aid workers have been taken hostage of which three - all employed by the French organization Action Against Hunger - were released recently after 3 months. A month before, four aid workers of the same organisation and two Kenyan pilots were released after they disappeared nine months ago.