Nigeria pushes for greater international support to fight piracy

Nigeria pushes for greater international support to fight piracy

Nigeria is pushing for greater UN and international support to fight maritime piracy in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea.

The move followed increasing incidence of piracy and maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea and its damaging impact on security, trade and economic activities in the sub-region.

The resolution

A briefing scheduled for Wednesday in New York at the Security Council is likely to culminate in the adoption of a resolution on the issue.

Nigerian diplomats said a resolution would have more significant impact than a press statement issued by the 15-member council in August.

Nigeria, which holds the rotational presidency of the Security Council for the month of October, had tabled the issue again for discussion at the Council to garner more international support for a comprehensive strategy to address the threat.

A concept paper circulated at the UN for the Wednesday briefing stated that piracy in the Gulf of Guinea is less widely reported than piracy off the coast of Somalia.

“Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has become so prevalent that it is now the second most defined piracy problem on the African continent. It has profound adverse impact on the security, trade and other economic activities of the countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea, a region rich in energy and mineral resources’’, the paper noted.

Regional cooperation

The paper circulated by Nigeria on behalf of Gulf of Guinea countries envisaged that regional cooperation, not external military support, would form the basis of a comprehensive fight against piracy in the region.

It stressed that given the constraints of insufficient financial and logistics capacities, concerted international support would be required to promote a coordinated regional response to piracy.

The Council also underscored the need for regional coordination and leadership in developing a comprehensive strategy piracy in the region.

International navigation

In August, a statement issued by members of the Security Council expressed concern over the increase in piracy, maritime-armed robbery and reports of hostage taking in the region.

The members of the Security Council noted the efforts being made by countries in the Gulf of Guinea to tackle the problem, including the launching of joint efforts to patrol these waters by Nigeria and the Republic of Benin off the coast of Benin.

The statement called on the international community to support the efforts of the countries and organisations in the region in securing international navigation along the Gulf of Guinea.

NAN/Shakira/Ekata