GoG pirates to face new joint West African taskforce
Nigeria and Cameroon to collaborate to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
A new collaboration between West African neighbours, Nigeria and Cameroon, is set to tackle piracy in the GoG. The effort is part of Nigeria’s $195m Deep Blue Project, an inter-agency anti-piracy project.
Both countries have described the situation in West African waters as “alarming and requiring urgent attention”, Nigerian news publication Daily Trust said.
The Gulf of Guinea saw 43% of all piracy incidents in the first quarter of 2021, with 32 boardings, dozens of kidnappings, and one homicide. Maritime security consultancy, Dryad Global, has blamed weak governance in the region for the piracy epidemic.
The Deep Blue Project is Nigeria’s contribution to anti-piracy efforts in the region and is being conducted in concert with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, and the Yaounde-based Inter-Regional Coordination Centre.
