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Somali Petroleum Minister Sees Start of Oil, Gas Output by 2020

(Bloomberg) — Somalia may start producing oil and gas by 2020 after exploration work showed the potential for “huge” deposits of the resources in the Horn of Africa country, outgoing Petroleum Minister Da’ud Mohamed Omar said. “We expect that Somalia will produce oil and gas in 2020 and the nation will reap enormous benefits such as alleviating the poverty and leading the country into prosperity,” Omar told reporters Wednesday in the capital, Mogadishu. He didn’t identify which oil companies are carrying out exploration work in the country. Somalia is considering its first bidding round for oil blocks since 2009 as increasing stability begins to attract more foreign investors. African Union-backed government forces have regained control of about 70 percent of the country that had fallen under the control of al-Shabaab, the al-Qaeda-linked militant group seeking to create an Islamic state in Somalia. The government is in talks with companies […]

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Pirate attacks dropped 40 percent since 2011 peak

The seafaring association says that pirate attacks at sea have dropped 40 percent since their peak in 2011 thanks to a huge drop in attacks off Somalia. The International Maritime Bureau says that there were only seven attacks and attempted attacks off Somalia last year, down from 49 in 2012 and 160 in 2011, the epidemic’s peak. The Somalia piracy problem was cracked after armed guards were placed on ships and because of an increase in patrols by international naval forces. The maritime bureau said more than 300 people were taken hostage at sea last year. Indonesia saw the most pirate attacks last year with 106. Nigeria was second with 31. © 2014 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Latest News Latest Winter […]

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