US keeping close eye as piracy rises off Somalia; attacks linked to famine in region

Djibouti

THE United States is closely watching a recent increase in piracy off the coast of Somalia, a senior US military official said on Sunday as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited an important military base in Djibouti.

The rise in piracy attacks has at least partially been driven by famine and drought in the region, the top US military commander overseeing troops in Africa said during Mr Mattis' visit as part of a week-long trip to the Middle East and Africa.

The United States uses the base in Djibouti, a tiny country the size of Wales at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, as a launch pad for …