French commandos sent to pirate yacht off Somali coast

Crack French troops are being sent to help free the crew of a luxury yacht seized by pirates off Somalia.

A team of the GIGN commando force that conducts anti-terrorist and hostage rescue operations is being sent to Djibouti to “reinforce” negotiation teams in place, the French foreign ministry said.

Pirates took over the yacht, called Le Ponant, in the Gulf of Aden on Friday. It was carrying 30 crew members, including 22 French citizens, but no passengers.

A French frigate, Le Commandant Bouan, was diverted from Nato duties and has been tracking the yacht.

French officials made contact with the pirates overnight.

“We had confirmation that the crew was safe and sound and well-treated,” a foreign ministry spokeswoman said.

“Our priority is the safety of the hostages,” she added.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned it could take “an enormous amount of time” to settle the pirate stand-off, which he called “a very serious affair.”

President Nicolas Sarkozy is due to meet the families of the French crew members Tuesday.

The hijacking comes amid a surge in piracy in the seas off the chaotic Horn of Africa nation, where a weak and impoverished government is unable to patrol its territorial waters.

Pirates have seized more than two dozen ships off the country’s coast in the last year, typically demanding high ransoms to free their hostages.