UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Escalating problems linked to piracy off the Somali coast are a "menace" that is growing faster than ever, a U.N. official told the Security Council.
B. Lynn Pascoe, the under secretary-general for political affairs at the United Nations, said military measures weren't enough to control piracy in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters.
"Piracy is a menace that is outpacing efforts by the international community to stem it," he said in his statement.
The United Nations said reports from the International Maritime Organization found there were more than 438 people and 20 ships held by pirates as of Nov. 4, an increase of nearly 100 kidnappings in less than a month.
A U.N. report last week said naval patrols off Somalia's coast have disrupted some pirates but others have become increasingly more violent.
In terms of costs, meanwhile, Pascoe said that as long as pirates continue to receive lucrative ransoms, there are no economic incentives to end the criminal activity.
Yuri Fedotov, the executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, said restoring order to Somalia could help eradicate some piracy in the region.
"It is clear that the only viable long-term solution to the Somali piracy problem is to restore law and order in Somalia, including in its waters," he said.
