David Cameron Anti-Piracy Operation Hits A Snag -- The TelegraphDavid Cameron's plans to allow British ships travelling around Africa to carry private armed guards to combat the threat of piracy have been dealt a blow after South Africa insisted they be military.
Lindiwe Sisulu, South Africa's defence minister, told the Daily Telegraph she had already received a request from Britain and other European countries to allow ships with armed protection to pass through South African waters.
She said she would insist they were military personnel to facilitate dealings with South African marines boarding the ships to inspect them.
British military sources say the plan would be "totally unworkable" because the UK lacks the capacity to staff civilian ships with troops.
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My Comment: The reason why the Europeans (and Britain) want to implement such a policy is straight forward .....
.... Statistics show no successful pirate attack has been carried out on merchant ships with armed security.
But the South Africans prefer to deal only with military personnel .... an impossible situation in view of the traffic and ships involved. Why this stance .... your guess is as good as mine.