UN Security Council expresses deep concern over piracy

in GoG
The UN Security Council expressed its deep concern over piracy and
armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, and stressed the importance
of a comprehensive approach led by States of the region, with
international support to address the problem and its root causes.
Issuing presidential statement S/PRST/2016/4, the Council
strongly condemned acts of murder, kidnapping, hostage-taking
and robbery by pirates in the Gulf, and underlined the importance
of determining any links between piracy and armed robbery at
sea, and terrorist groups in West Africa and the Sahel subregions.
It encouraged regional organizations including the African
Union, Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS),
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the
Gulf of Guinea Council to enhance cooperation on maritime
safety and security, calling upon States in the region to
criminalize piracy and armed robbery at sea under their domestic
laws.
The Council went on to encourage bilateral and multilateral
partners to help enhance the anti-piracy capabilities of regional
States and organizations in terms of personnel, funding,
technology, training and equipment.
It welcomed the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union to be
held in Lom, Togo, on 15 October, which was expected to adopt
a charter on maritime safety and security, as well as economic
and social development in Africa.
Before issuing the presidential statement, the Council heard a
briefing by Tay-Brook Zerihoun, Assistant Secretary-General for
Political Affairs on Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea in the Gulf of
Guinea.
He said there had been a steady decline in the number of
recorded incidents and illegal activities over the past few years,
but insecurity remained a source of concern. Six attacks had
been reported in the first quarter of 2016 alone, in addition to
ship hijackings off the coast of Nigeria and kidnappings along the
coasts of Western and Central Africa.

As a result of the Yaound Summit, the Interregional Coordination

Centre had been inaugurated in 2014 with the aim of
coordinating anti-piracy operations, he said.
However, due to staffing, funding and other logistical constraints,
it was not yet fully operational. Flexible and proactive efforts at
the national, regional and international levels would be needed in
responding to perpetrators who had proven to be highly
adaptable, well informed and increasingly sophisticated.
During the ensuing open debate, Robert Dussey, Togos Minister
for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration, briefed
on the upcoming Lom Summit, saying it would see the adoption
of an African charter on maritime security and development.
The Lom charter would promote a flourishing blue economy that
would in turn encourage environmentally friendly development,
incorporating a common fisheries policy and measures to tackle
illegal fishing, he said, adding that it would build upon the 2050
Integrated Maritime Strategy for Africa, paving the way for
further initiatives and actions.
Several speakers noted that piracy and armed robbery at sea
were symptomatic of governance and development issues. They
called for greater international support to support regional efforts,
particularly at the level of the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) Maritime Security Trust Fund for West and Central Africa.
Moroccos representative noted that the Gulf of Guinea had
become the new centre of gravity for piracy in Africa, taking the
spotlight away from the Gulf of Aden. Endowed with 8 per cent of
the worlds petroleum resources, as well as fisheries and
significant maritime traffic, it had plenty of targets for pirates.
It was high time the Gulf of Guinea where the pirates were
reputed to be among the most violent in the world benefited
from the same international cooperation extended to the Gulf of
Aden, he emphasized.
Egypts representative, however, said pirates operated differently
in the two regions, so the response must also be different,
reflecting different political and security situations. It was
important that the shipping industry adhere to best practices in
high-risk waters, he said, emphasizing that there was no time for
complacency.

Nigerias representative said that criminal gangs motivated by

access to crude oil, and people involved in trafficking illicit goods,
as well as small arms and light weapons, had been operating in
the Gulf of Guinea. Governments around the Gulf must pursue
piracy networks on land and enhance their naval and air power so
as to respond appropriately to maritime attacks.
Senegals representative noted that Gulf of Guinea piracy and
armed robbery was no longer limited to the oil sector, but had
now branched out into trafficking in people, drugs, weapons and
generic medicine, as well as illegal fishing. That complicated the
ability of regional States and their international partners to
mobilize.
The representatives of both the United States and the United
Kingdom called attention to attacks launched against two ships in
one day off Nigerias coast earlier in April, which considering
the countries where the vessels were registered, their cargo and
crew involved no fewer than seven Member States. Their
counterparts from Ukraine and Turkey recalled how citizens of
their respective countries had been captured by pirates in the
Gulf of Guinea.
The representative of Cyprus said a fresh Security Council
resolution on piracy and armed robbery at sea might prove
helpful, while his counterpart from South Africa said the Council
should send a clear message to the end-users of pirated goods.