Somalia: Puntland Drops Deal With Mercenary Firm

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: March 17, 2011

The northern region of Puntland has suspended a deal with the South African mercenary firm Saracen International to train an anti-piracy force, two government officials said Thursday. Saracen International was hired to train 1,050 men in Puntland to battle the pirates that menace Somalia’s coast. The project was linked to Erik Prince, founder of the private security firm Blackwater. Lafras Luitingh, the chief operating officer of Saracen, said in a statement that the program had been suspended since Feb. 12, and that the decision was made “after close consultation with the U.N.” The Somali government canceled a similar contract with Saracen in January.