Tomorrow (19 December), the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) will convene its 1128^th session to receive briefing on the maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).

The session is expected to start with opening remarks from the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the AU and Chairperson of the PSC for the month, Victor Adekunle Adeleke, followed by a statement from AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), Bankole Adeoye. The Executive Secretary of the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC), Florentina Adenike Ukonga, will make presentation while the representatives of the Inter-regional Coordination Centre, Yaoudé (CRESMAO/CRESMAC);  the Coordinator of the Experts for the Establishment of the Regional Maritime Task Force; as well as the representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the Indian Ocean Commission are expected to deliver statements. The representatives of United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) and European Union (EU) may also deliver statements.

The issue of maritime security in the GoG has been gaining attention both at the PSC and UN Security Council in recent years as piracy and armed robbery at sea continues to persist. This hugely affects the shipping industry and the economy of the coastal states of the region and beyond. The financial loss occasioned by these acts is estimated to be over US$1.9 billion every year. It is the second time that PSC is dedicating a session on maritime security in the GoG in less than six months. The last dedicated session was at its 1090^th meeting on 28 June this year under the chairship of Congo. Before that PSC also considered maritime security in the region at its 1012^th session in July 2021 during the chairship of Nigeria, also highlighting the political weight that countries of the GoG attach to the issue. On the side of UN Security Council, it is to be recalled that UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on maritime security in the GoG (S/RES/2634(2022)) on 31 May this year, which was co-sponsored by Ghana and Norway. Most recently, on 22 November, the Security Council also held a briefing on piracy in the GoG and received the Secretary General’s report on the ‘situation of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea and its underlying causes’.

In its last dedicated session on maritime security in the GoG, PSC expressed its ‘deep concern’ over the threat of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the region and called upon the AU Commission, among others, to undertake assessment of the implementation of all instruments and frameworks on maritime security with the view to addressing the gaps and propose strategies to enhance their implementation. It further directed the Commission to set up ‘a body of experts or a Task Force’ to provide technical expertise to Member States and other stakeholders on maritime security in the continent. PSC’s 1012^th session further envisioned a naval capacity within the African Standby Force (ASF) framework to address maritime security threats in the continent. Tomorrow’s session therefore affords PSC the opportunity to follow-up the implementation of its previous decisions, as well as receive updates on the state of maritime security in the GoG and inform next steps.

Despite the persistence of the problem, the GoG has witnessed a downward trend of piracy and armed robbery at sea. According to the recent UN Secretary-General Report (S/2022/818) submitted to the Security Council, maritime crime including piracy and armed robbery at sea dropped from 123 in 2020 to 45 in 2021, and this trend has continued in 2022 as well. The decline in number of incidents is attributed to increased naval patrols by Nigeria, the impact of piracy convictions in Nigeria and Togo, improved cooperation among countries of the region, and deployment of non-GoG navies, among other factors. Despite this encouraging development, not only the security threat persisted but also new worrying trends are also emerging. In that regard, Secretary-General’s Report notes ‘a noticeable shift’ in the geographical location of piracy incidents from ECOWAS to ECCAS regional waters, further highlighting the need to enhance cooperation and coordination between the regional mechanisms in tackling the threat.

GoG countries have launched various initiatives including efforts to put the necessary legal and institutional frameworks in place as part of the efforts to address piracy and armed robbery at sea in the region. One of such notable initiatives at the national level is Nigeria’s US$ 195 million worth ‘Deep Blue Project’ to counter piracy and armed robbery at sea in the region. The country also passed an anti-piracy bill, the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act, in 2019. In 2021, two convictions for piracy were secured in Nigeria and Togo for the first time in the West Africa region. It is worth noting that only five countries (Cabo Verde, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo) have passed bills that criminalize piracy.

At the regional level, the Yaoundé maritime security architecture, which culminated from the signing of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct in June 2013 by 25 West and Central African Countries, remain at the heart of the regional strategy for maritime security. The architecture envisages the establishment of regional centres for information sharing and coordination including the Interregional Coordination Centre (ICC) in Yaoundé (Cameroon), the Regional Centre for Maritime Security of West Africa (CRESMAO) in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), and the Regional Centre for Maritime Security of Central Africa (CRESMAC) in Pointe-Noire (Congo). Five Multinational Maritime Coordination Centres are also set-up to monitor maritime activities and share actionable maritime security-related information at the inter-zonal level. Currently, there are efforts to establish a Regional Maritime Task Force for the GoG in line with PSC communique adopted at its 1012^th session. To that end, the Chiefs of the Naval Staff who met in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, in May 2022, agreed to set-up a technical expert committee to expedite the creation of the regional maritime task force, which will contribute to the better maritime security of the region. International partners have also stepped-up partnership support to the ongoing regional efforts including through Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum and its Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE), the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea, and the European Union Coordinated Maritime Presences in the Gulf of Guinea.

Despite progress achieved in terms of operationalizing the Yaoundé architecture over the years, lack of predictable and sustainable funding, limited capacity, and lack of clarity over division of labour among the different structures remain critical challenges for its full operationalization.

The African Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in Africa (Lomé Charter) adopted in 2016, the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS) adopted in 2014, and the revised African Maritime Transport Charter adopted in 2010 are among the relevant instruments to maritime security at the continental level. It is worth recalling that PSC, at its 1090^th session in June, requested the AU Commission to review the implementation of all the existing instruments and frameworks on maritime security with the view to enhancing their implementation. Members of the PSC may wish to hear from the Commission if there is any progress in the review process.

Another issue likely to be emphasized in tomorrow’s session is the imperative of adopting comprehensive strategy against maritime insecurity in the region. The ongoing security responses are indeed necessary but not sufficient to meaningfully address the threat of piracy and armed robbery nor to sustain the recent gains. The phenomenon of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the region is attributed to multiple factors including bad governance, high poverty and unemployment, weak natural resources governance, environmental degradation, illegal and unregulated fishing, and inadequate access to public services. Any strategy- whether at national, regional, or continental level- therefore need to fully recognize the underlying socio-economic, political governance and environmental challenges that underpin the menaces in the maritime domain.

The expected outcome of tomorrow’s session is a communique. The PSC is expected to express serious concern over the persistence of the threat of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the GoG as well as the economic cost to the countries of the region. While PSC may welcome the recent declines in the instances of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the region, it may also express concern over the emerging shift in the geographical location of piracy incidents from ECOWAS to ECCAS regional waters, and in that regard, it may call upon Member States in the region, ECOWAS, ECCAS, and the GGC to enhance cooperation and coordination in the fight against maritime crimes in the GoG. PSC may emphasize the importance of international support to the region, but it is also expected to underscore the primary responsibility of the countries of the region for combating piracy and armed robbery at sea. In that regard, PSC may commend Member States of the region for the political will as reflected in the positive steps taken to operationalize the Yaoundé architecture and strengthen enforcement mechanisms, but it may further emphasize the need to address the remaining challenges for the full operationalization of the architecture. PSC is also expected to welcome the creation of the technical expert committee for the establishment of the Regional Maritime Task Force for the GoG and may call upon Member States and partners to support their effort for the realization of the task force. PSC may urge Member States of the region to put in place the necessary legal framework for the criminalization and prosecution of perpetrators under their domestic laws. In that regard, PSC may commend Nigeria and Togo for the first-ever conviction of piracy under their anti-piracy laws. In light of the multidimensional nature of the threat of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the region, PSC may also underline the imperative of adopting a comprehensive strategy that addresses the underlying causes of the threat.

Tomorrow (28 June 2022), the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) will convene its 1090^th session to discuss maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.

Following opening remarks by Daniel Owassa, Permanent Representative of Congo to the AU and Chairperson of the Council for the month of June, Bankole Adeoye, AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security is expected to deliver statement while the representative of the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GCC) is scheduled to make presentation. The representatives of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Gabon, and Angola will also make statements in their capacity as members of the GGC. In addition to the representatives of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the representatives of the Indian ocean Commission, United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), and the European Union (EU) are also expected to make statements.

The last time Council considered the issue of maritime security in Africa was at its 1012^th session, which was convened on 23 July 2021 under the chairship of Nigeria. In that session, Council, among others, expressed its ‘deep concern over the challenging situation in some regions and areas of Africa’s maritime security domain’. Council also condemned the ‘illegal exploitation of Africa’s maritime resources and the dumping of toxic waste in Africa’s maritime domain’. This session is expected to focus on the maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, which has overtaken the Gulf of Aden and the Horn of Africa over the past few years, turning the region into the world’s major hotspot for piracy, armed robbery at sea and other forms of maritime crime including transnational organized crime, oil and cargo theft, illicit trafficking and diversion of arms, drug and human trafficking, illegal trade and smuggling, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). As such, tomorrow’s session presents Council the opportunity to assess the maritime security situation of the Gulf of Guinea and explore ways and means to effectively respond to the situation. It is to be recalled that a resolution on maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea (S/RES/2634 (2022)) – co-sponsored by Ghana and Norway – was unanimously adopted by the UN Security Council on 31 May, a decade after its last resolution on the issue.

Stretched from Angola to Senegal and covering around 11,000 square kilometres (4,247 sq. miles), the Gulf of Guinea remains one of the world’s most important shipping routes for both Gulf of Guinea oil exports from the Niger Delta and consumer goods to and from central and southern Africa, accounting for 25 % of African maritime traffic. Piracy has continued to emerge ‘almost exclusively’ from Nigeria’s oil rich Niger Delta though attacks also take place elsewhere, according to Dryad Global.

Although it is difficult to establish the exact cost of maritime insecurity in the region, a recent report by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed direct, indirect and opportunity costs to the region and beyond. One source claim that piracy in the region costs the coastal states some 2 billion USD a year. As UNODC’s study rightly pointed out, the cost will not be however limited to the coastal states but also ‘trickle along trade corridors to the heart of the continent’, highlighting the importance of the issue for countries beyond the coastal states.

The maritime security landscape of the Gulf of Guinea has been changing over the years. Maritime incidents are no longer restricted to territorial waters but increasingly occurring further offshore often outside of the Exclusive Economic Zones. The threat has spread outward from the shore with pirates operating over a vast region extending hundreds of miles from the coast, showing a worrying trend of increasing operational capability of pirates. While incidents have turned increasingly violent, kidnap for ransom has also become the most significant risk to commercial operations in the region. Moreover, a dangerous linkage between piracy and terrorism is also evolving in the region as the tentacles of terrorist groups operating in the Sahel is reaching to the Gulf of Guinea. In this connection, members of Council could be interested to know more about how piracy and armed robbery in the region interact with the expansion of terrorism and violent extremism as well as the resurgence of coups, and how these can impact the peace and security situation of the West and Central Africa regions.

Despite the grim picture however, the maritime security landscape of the region recorded a notable improvement in 2021 though the sustainability of such gain remains questionable. The 2021 annual report of Dryad Global, a maritime risk company, indicates that piracy off West Africa in 2021 declined dramatically with 56% drop from previous year. It further highlights that incidents of actual and attempted attacks and vessels being fired upon decreased by more than 85%. The number of vessels boarded throughout the region fell by 54% while incidents of crews being kidnapped declined by 60%.

Many attributes the decline in piracy in the region with Nigeria’s 195 million USD Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, otherwise known as the Deep Blue Project (DBP), though some like the Dryad Global doubts this. On the other hand, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, United Representative at the UN, during UN Security Council meeting on maritime security in May associated the crimes decrease with enhanced international collaboration. The blue project of Nigeria, initiated in 2017 but officially launched this month, brings together a mix of special mission vessels, fast interceptor boats, special mission aircraft, helicopters, and drones to patrol the shipping lanes off Nigeria’s coast. It is to be recalled that the country passed an anti-piracy bill, the Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act in 2019, to stem the rising trend of piracy in the region. During the launch ceremony on 10 June, President Muhammadu Buhari stated that the Deep Blue would ‘advance the security architecture and ensure greater enforcement action in Nigerian waters and beyond’, particularly in the prosecution of suspects under the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act.

While the project is a significant positive development to tackle the immediate maritime security concerns in the region, the long-term success of this initiative in turning the tide against piracy is not guaranteed nor the gains of last year remain sustainable without addressing the underlying causes of piracy and armed robbery. The absence of economic opportunities and governance deficit have become major drivers of piracy and other criminal activities in the region. It is imperative that the security measures are complimented with addressing such underlying conditions if the threat is to be resolved sustainably. On a related note, it is worth noting that the UN Security Council resolution 2634 (2022) requested the Secretary-General to report on the situation of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea and its underlying causes, including any possible and potential linkages with terrorism in West and Central Africa and the Sahel.

Another important factor to stem maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea is the need to strengthening the existing frameworks and institutions created to address the security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea, as well as enhancing cooperation and coordination between the plethora of structures. In this respect, the Yaoundé Architecture for Maritime Security and Safety, a culmination of a meeting between ECOWAS, ECCAS and GGC in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in 2013, is at the centre of such mechanisms designed to address the maritime insecurity in the region. While significant progress has been made towards its operationalization and strengthening cooperation with international partners, limited capacity continues to remain a challenge for the effectiveness of the architecture. Yaoundé Code of Conduct, Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS) 2050, African Charter on Maritime Security and Safety and Development in Africa (Lomé Charter) are also relevant instruments available at regional and continental level.

The presence of different structures and initiatives at national, regional, and international levels to address maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea also raises the question of coordination. One notable development of interest to the Council in this respect is the establishment of the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Collaboration Forum and Shared Awareness and De-Confliction (GoG-MCF/SHADE) last year. The platform was created by Nigeria and the Inter-Regional Coordination Centre (ICC) – representing 21 countries in the Gulf of Guinea – to serve as a platform for navies, industry partners and other relevant stakeholders from across the Gulf of Guinea and beyond with the view to harmonising counter-piracy efforts and communication in the region. International partners such as the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea and the European Union have also stepped in to support regional efforts against piracy.

Adding to the above structures, the PSC in its last session on the theme also envisioned a naval capacity within the African Standby Force (ASF) for promoting maritime and security and safety in Africa though its practicality would remain a problem. This will be in addition to the Counter-terrorism unit which Council decided to establish within the ASF at its 960^th session held on 28 October 2020.

The expected outcome of tomorrow’s session is a communique. Among others, Council is expected to express concern over the persistent threat posed by piracy, armed robbery, and other forms of maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea. It may further express concern over the trend of the expansion of the threat posed by pirates far from the coast, as well as the economic implications of the threat on the coastal states. Council is likely to welcome the launch of Nigeria’s Deep Blue Project on 10 June 2022 and may appeal to international partners to provide the necessary support to the effective implementation of the project. It may also re-emphasize the importance of adopting a comprehensive solution to the multidimensional underlying causes and drivers of maritime insecurity in order to sustainably address the problem. Echoing UN Security Council Resolution 2634 (2022), Council may urge member states in the region to criminalize piracy and armed robbery at sea under their domestic laws, and may further call to investigate, prosecute, or extradite, in accordance with applicable international law, perpetrators of piracy and armed robbery at sea. Taking note of the decline of piracy in the region over the past year, Council may encourage coastal states to keep the momentum and sustain the gains through continued collaboration and strong coordination among states of Gulf of Guinea as well as the different initiatives and institutions including the Yaoundé Architecture, AU, ECOWAS, ECCAS, and GGC in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at the sea of Gulf of Guinea.

Tomorrow (23 July) the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) is set to convene its 1012th session on the state of maritime security in Africa.

Following the opening remarks of the Chairperson of the PSC, Victor Adenkunle Adeleke, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS), Bankole Adeoye, is expected to make a statement.

Given the increasing maritime insecurity in the continent, tomorrow’s session presents the Council the opportunity to assess the overall maritime security situation of the continent with particular focus on the Gulf Guinea, receive update on the status in the implementation of regional and continental maritime security frameworks, as well as explore ways and means to effectively respond to maritime insecurity in the continent.

As recent data demonstrates, incidents of piracy and kidnapping for ransom of seafarers continue to be major challenges along the Gulf of Guinea. According to reports of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the region experienced 50% increase between 2018 and 2019, and 10% increase between 2019 and 2020 in incidents of kidnapping for ransom. In 2020 alone, there were 84 attacks on ships and 135 kidnappings of seafarers. In the first three months of 2021, the region accounted for 43% of all reported piracy incidents while over 14 crew members were abducted in three incidents of kidnappings recorded within the year so far. Currently, the region is said to account for just over 95% of all kidnappings for ransom at sea. In addition to piracy and kidnapping for ransom, the region is also highly prone to other maritime crimes including armed robbery, transnational organised crime, illegal fishing, and illegal trafficking and smuggling of goods.

In addition to the increase in maritime crimes, studies also indicate the increasingly violent nature of such incidents. For instance, the use of guns was reported in 80% of kidnappings for ransom which took place during 2020. This is a sharp shift from the nature of piracy experienced in the region a few years back, which was limited to occurrences of cargo theft. Another growing trend in the nature of maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea is the broadening and extension of risk zones. That is, while most cases of piracy and kidnappings initially used to take place within the territorial waters of coastal States, the more recent incidents tend to take place further from shores and within the high seas – at 200 nautical miles from the coastline according to data recorded by the IMB. These trends in turn underscore the importance of strengthening international and regional efforts and collaborations aimed at addressing the risks to maritime security in the region.

Because most of the security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea previously took place under 200 nautical miles from coastline, States in the region resisted the idea of an international presence to respond to maritime security threats which were usually categorised as armed robberies as opposed to piracy. With the distance from shorelines highly increasing and the nature of crimes also getting more volatile, the incidents in the Gulf of Guinea are nowadays prompting comparisons with piracy in the horn region, along the coastline of Somalia. Although shipping companies operating in the region are growingly showing support for international responses, it is more likely that Gulf of Guinea States would prefer continued support from the international community to boost their capacity in averting threats to maritime security instead of handing over the responsibility to outside entities.

While reflecting on possibilities of new international responses is important, it is also essential to emphasise the importance of effective implementation of existing regional frameworks such as the Yaoundé Code of Conduct and the African Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in Africa (Lomé Charter) in order to effectively address maritime security challenges in the region. At its 858th session dedicated to the same theme, the PSC focused on the finalisation, signature and ratification of the draft Annexes to the Lomé Charter. The upcoming session presents Council the opportunity to follow up on the status of the draft Annexes which are basically aimed at incorporating within the Charter, all relevant AU structures, particularly those relating to economic mandate and were not involved in the development of the Charter. The pilot case of the European Union (EU)’s Coordinated Maritime Presences (CMP) concept, launched at the meeting of the Council of the EU on 25 January 2021 is also one of the most recent efforts representing international collaboration to address maritime security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea. The CMP establishes the Gulf of Guinea as a Maritime Area of Interest (MAI) and aims to support coastal States in addressing challenges which undermine maritime security and good governance in the region.

At the national level, it is also crucial to properly identify and take timely measures against the root-causes of piracy and other maritime crimes including poverty, high rate of youth unemployment, poor governance, lack of education, and weak law enforcement. In addition to locally addressing the underlying causes of maritime crimes, States in the region also need to harmonise their domestic laws with regional and international standards. In this regard, Nigeria’s anti-piracy laws (such as the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act of 2019 which prescribes stringent punishments against crimes committed in the maritime domain) and the initiatives such as the Deep Blue Project (launched in 2019 with the central goal of addressing insecurity and criminality in Nigeria’s territorial waters) could serve as lessons for more mobilisation of similar enterprises across the region.

It is also important to pay due regard to the economic impact of maritime insecurity and the constraints it imposes to the flow of trade and investment. As the Gulf of Guinea continues to growingly be regarded as one of the most dangerous shipping routes and insecure maritime environments in the world, the risk to economic development in the region, as well as the continent at large, also increases. Particularly with 90% of trade to west Africa coming by sea, the region’s economy is largely affected by concerns of maritime security. Not only is there a likelihood for the region’s reputation as a dangerous route to ward off potential traders, the increasing level of insecurity also inevitably results in the rise of business costs and increase in price of goods and services. While this has the potential to eventually devastate the economy of coastal States in the long-run, it also directly affects the livelihood of populations in the region. Hence, it is essential for response mechanisms crafted under any national, regional or international initiatives to take account of the economic aspect of maritime insecurity in the region.

The outcome of tomorrow’s session is expected to be a communiqué. In addition to reflecting on the security concerns along the Gulf of Guinea, Council may remark on the importance of strengthening Africa’s continental capacity to respond to security threats in the maritime domain, including through taking solid steps towards the implementation of the 2050 African Integrated Maritime Strategy. Council may also call on member States in the Gulf of Guinea to fortify their efforts through, among others, information sharing; interdicting suspicious ships; and apprehending and prosecuting suspected criminals in line with the Yaoundé Code of Conduct. It may also encourage littoral States to allocate sufficient funds for building up local and regional response mechanisms against maritime security threats. Having regard to the growing trend in further offshore incidents of maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea, Council may also stress the need for a more integrated regional approach towards addressing the challenges. Council may also note the low level of ratification of the Lomé Charter and urge member States that have not yet done so, to sign and ratify it (as of 2020, only two of the 35 AU member States that have signed the Charter have ratified it). The AU Commission may also be requested to take the necessary steps towards the finalisation of the draft annexes to the Lomé Charter.