THE seizure by Somali pirates of the MV Sirius Star, an oil supertanker owned by Saudi company Aramco, some 450 nautical miles off the coast of Kenya, is a brazen act that represents a major threat to both the world’s energy security and the shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

The president of Djibouti, a key US ally in the Horn of Africa, is warning that Eritrea’s occupation of territory on their border overlooking critical Red Sea shipping lanes could lead to war if the dispute isn’t quickly resolved.

Seven African leaders today reviewed efforts to restore peace in Somalia and Uganda and attempts to resolve a festering border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia.