EU addresses maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea

The European Union (EU) says it has adopted a broad-based strategy on the Gulf of Guinea to support the efforts of the region and its coastal states to address the challenges of maritime insecurity and organised crime.

Challenges of countries in the Gulf of Guinea region include increasing piracy and armed robbery, violence, widespread organised crime in the forms of trafficking and smuggling drugs, people, arms, money-laundering and illegal fishing.  

These challenges, the Union said, threaten stability in the wider sub-region and pose a growing threat to the EU. 

One major challenge that poses a maritime security threat and is currently on the ascendancy is piracy and armed robbery against ships operating on the coast of West Africa, as figures indicate that over the last two years quite a number of cases have been reported.

According to the Union, the value of drugs and contraband shipped from West Africa to Europe has been estimated at around US$1.25billion.

The piracy rate off the coast of West Africa has now overtaken that of Somalia, a report by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) and other seafarers’ groups has shown.

According to the report, a total of 966 sailors were attacked along the Gulf of Guinea in 2012 compared to 851 cases off the Somali coast, which previously recorded higher numbers of attacks. 

According to Control Risks, pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea had by mid-November 2013 maintained a steady level of around 100 attempted hijackings in the year, a close second behind Southeast Asia.

The cost of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea due to stolen goods, security, and insurance has been estimated to be about US$2billion. 

Piracy acts interfere with legitimate trading interests of the affected countries, which include Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Rear Admiral Jurgen Ehle, Chairman, EU Military Committee Working Group, speaking at a media briefing in Accra said: “The adoption just ahead of the EU-Africa Summit showcases the strong relationship between the EU and Africa, and the importance we attach to close and comprehensive cooperation with our African partners. 

“It is crucial now to support our West and Central African partners’ efforts to tackle the complex challenges of maritime insecurity and organised crime.”

He explained that the EU Strategy on the Gulf of Guinea aims at addressing the myriad problems in the region, and has four objectives including building a common understanding of the scale of the threat in the Gulf of Guinea and the need to address it among countries in the region and the international community.   

It is also targetted at helping governments of the region build robust institutions, maritime administrations and multi-agency capabilities to ensure maritime awareness, security and the rule of law along the coast. 

It will as well support prosperous economies in the region to create employment and assist vulnerable communities to build resilience and resist criminal and violent activities, as well as strengthening cooperation between countries of the region and the regional organisations to enable them take necessary actions that mitigate the threats at sea and on land.

The strategy also recognises the need to protect both populations in the Gulf of Guinea region and European citizens from the threats emanating from the region -- including piracy, terrorism and trafficking of people, drugs and arms. 

He explained that the piracy, armed robbery at sea, organised crime and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Gulf of Guinea region pose serious challenges to human security, human rights, economic activity and trade both at sea and on land.

“Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has become a global concern; the activities affect a number of countries in West Africa as well as the international community. It is often part of heavily-armed criminal enterprises which employ violent methods to steal oil cargo,” he said.