Gulf of Guinea: naval chiefs of staff discuss maritime piracy
In the Gulf of Guinea, acts of brigandage on the high seas are on the increase.
Photo: UN
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
The chiefs of staff of the navies of the countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea met in symposium, this Monday, November 8, 2021, in Pointe-Noire, the economic capital of Congo-Brazzaville.
The objective is to pool their efforts against maritime piracy which threatens this area rich in hydrocarbons and natural resources.
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With our special
correspondent in Pointe-Noire
,
Loïcia Martial
A demonstration exercise at sea should come to end this symposium organized in partnership with the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.
It brings together
sixteen Gulf of Guinea countries with common issues
, as explained by General François Xavier Mabin, commander of French elements in Gabon.
"
The navies of the Gulf of Guinea face threats that are common: predation on natural resources, especially on fishery resources, piracy of course and the phenomenon of illegal immigration
," said the French officer.
It was the Congolese Prime Minister Anatole Collinet Makosso who opened the work.
In his speech, he explained that the Gulf of Guinea had become a high risk area following the displacement of the phenomenon of piracy, until then identified mainly in the Gulf of Aden in the
Horn of Africa
.
He mentioned some statistics.
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To read also
: Piracy, robbery: "The Gulf of Guinea remains the area which most worries the maritime industry"
"
For the year 2020 alone, the Gulf of Guinea has been the subject of 195 attacks by ships, approaching the coasts and territorial waters with the means and methods of pirates continuously reinforced for some time
", specified the head of the Congolese government.
The Pointe-Noire Symposium marks the start of the implementation of a program called the “
Yaoundé Architecture
”, an initiative launched in 2013 to pool efforts to ensure safety and security at sea.
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Congo Brazzaville
Piracy
Transport