Abstract
The Gulf of Guinea (GoG) has emerged as the new hotspot of piracy and armed robbery against ships. This development is coming after a similar threat is declining off the East coast of Africa, thanks to all the naval powers that intervene in the region. The efforts to suppress piracy in the GoG have been led by regional players and supported by the international community. Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Benin among others have contributed notable efforts to suppress piracy in the GoG. The improvement in naval presence, maritime policing and target harden in the region have increased the number of intercepted, captured and killed pirates as well as foiled attacks, rescued victims and destroyed sanctuaries. Nevertheless, the available security presence remains insufficient to deter every attack, especially as the motivations for piracy persist in the region. This study examines the efforts committed against piracy in the GoG, some of the achievements so far and the challenges encountered, and suggests possible ways forward on a comparative basis with the record of headways in the East coast of Africa.
The Gulf of Guinea (GoG) has emerged as the new hotspot of piracy and armed robbery against ships. This development is coming after a similar threat is declining off the East coast of Africa, thanks to all the naval powers that intervene in the region. The efforts to suppress piracy in the GoG have been led by regional players and supported by the international community. Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Benin among others have contributed notable efforts to suppress piracy in the GoG. The improvement in naval presence, maritime policing and target harden in the region have increased the number of intercepted, captured and killed pirates as well as foiled attacks, rescued victims and destroyed sanctuaries. Nevertheless, the available security presence remains insufficient to deter every attack, especially as the motivations for piracy persist in the region. This study examines the efforts committed against piracy in the GoG, some of the achievements so far and the challenges encountered, and suggests possible ways forward on a comparative basis with the record of headways in the East coast of Africa.
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