African leaders unite to combat piracy
West and central African leaders on Saturday said they were determined to cooperate on combatting piracy in the Gulf of Guinea as they met in Senegal.
African leaders unite to combat Gulf of Guinea piracy
West and central African leaders on Saturday said they were determined to cooperate on combatting piracy in the Gulf of Guinea as they met in Senegal to discuss maritime security in one of the world’s most dangerous seas.
The Gulf, which includes waters off Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, has emerged as a new danger zone with pirates targeting fuel cargo and loading it onto other ships to sell on the lucrative black market, rather than seeking ransom to release ships, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
“The scourges of piracy, terrorism, extremism and banditry at sea as well as other organised crimes affecting our common maritime domain are, in combination with other factors, threatening our collective security,” said Kadre Desire Ouedraogo, the head of west African bloc ECOWAS’s Commission.
Source: AFP.
