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PIRACY: Gulf of Guinea Assessment Mission

PIRACY: Gulf of Guinea Assessment Mission Steps are taken towards developing an integrated regional strategy. In response to a request from President Boni Yayi of Benin UN Secretary‐General Ban Ki‐moon has deployed a team to assess the scope of the piracy threat in the Gulf of Guinea and make recommendations for possible UN support. The team is co‐led by Sammy Kum Buo , Director of the Africa II Division in the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA), and Mariam Sissoko , Country Representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria . It was to visit Benin, Nigeria, Gabon and Angola and meet representatives of the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ), the Economic Community of Central African States ( CEEAC ) and the Gulf of Guinea Commission, as well as Government officials and relevant national counterparts in each country. In October Mr. Ban urged States and regional organizations in the Gulf of Guinea to develop a comprehensive and integrated strategy, which will entail the drafting of domestic laws and regulations ‐ where they do not exist ‐ that will criminalize piracy and armed robbery at sea. A regional framework will include information‐sharing and operational coordination mechanisms in the region. (UN News 10/11) Indian Ocean: Denmark ’s Minister for Development Cooperation Christian Friis Bach has called the abduction of two aid workers (1 Dane, 1 US citizen) sent to Somalia by the Danish Refugee Council “tragic”. They were working on mine clearance and their kidnapping will impact on future work. A Somali security official told reporters they were kidnapped by armed gunmen near the airport at Galkayo town in the north‐central area. It later emerged they had been taken by pirates who were demanding $9m+ for their release. ( Politiken website, Copenhagen 25/10, 3/11; BBC news online 25/10 ) The Indian Navy aboard warship INS Sukanya patrolling the Gulf of Aden on November 10 th thwarted a multi‐boat attack by pirates on merchant vessels, apprehending 26 Somali pirates and confiscating arms and ammunition, in the fifth successful anti‐piracy operation since September, PTI news agency said ( 11/11 ). Sukanya, currently deployed under the operational control of the Western Naval Command, was escorting a group of five merchant vessels through the Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor (IRTC) when the incident happened. (PTI news agency, New Delhi 11/11) IN BRIEF Cote d’Ivoire – France: France marked the resumption of security cooperation after a seven‐year hiatus with the delivery of 30 police vehicles and computer equipment on November 8 th . Ivorian Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko predicted a new phase of “dynamic cooperation” to be sealed during President Alassane Ouattara’ s December state visit to France. (RNW 8/11) Ethiopia – Sweden: An Ethiopian court on November 3 rd dropped charges of participating in terrorism against two Swedish journalists, but they still face accusations of supporting terrorism. Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye , arrested on July 1st near the Somali border, are accused of entering the country illegally with members of the outlawed rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front ( ONLF ). ( © AFP, Addis Ababa 3/11) Francophonie: Senegalese Ombudsman, Serigne Diop , is the new head of the Association of Ombudsmen and Mediators of Francophonie (AOMF), Diop, Professor of Constitutional Law and former minister, was elected unanimously at the AOMF congress in Luxembourg. The AOMF, created in May 1998, with headquarters in Paris, France , draws its membership from 53 members across five continents and pursues objectives, essentially professional, for cooperation. (PANA, Dakar 19/11) Libya: European Union ( EU ) foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton , announced aid of €10m for capacity‐building of institutions and female organizations in Tripoli on November 12 th . She was speaking during the opening ceremony of the first women’s world conference. She also inaugurated the new bureau of the EU in Tripoli intended to reinforce cooperation. (PANA, Tripoli 12/11) Nigeria‐ France: French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe rounded off his three‐day official visit to Nigeria on November 13 th with a pledge to assist in Nigeria’s war against terror. In a meeting with his Nigerian counterpart, Olugbenga Ashiru , he condemned the Boko Haram insurgency, and said France could help through “intelligence and training” for security personnel. Juppe had earlier visited South Africa . (PANA, Lagos 13/11) Reunion – UK: The family of a former Royal Marine believed to have been murdered on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion said on November 20 th there had been a “cover‐up” after they were initially led to believe it was an accident. Carl Davies was working as a security guard to protect the area from the threat of piracy, when he died on November 9th. His parents believe the French authorities wanted to cover up the murder because it could damage tourism. (The Independent, London 20/11) Rwanda – Belgium: The Rwandan government has frozen all bank accounts of the Belgian Embassy in Kigali in response to Belgium blocking the accounts of the Rwandan Embassy in Brussels following a court case involving the Rwandan authorities and a Rwandan refugee businessman in Belgium, who demanded the return of a huge amount of money frozen by Kigali. (PANA, Kigali 10/11) Somalia – France: Somalia’s radical militant group, Al‐Shabaab , has “declared war” on France and its citizens after a satirical weekly news magazine Charlie Hebdo made the Prophet Mohammed their “guest editor”. The group has also accused France of assisting the Kenyan government in its war against Al‐Shabaab in the southern regions of Somalia (p.19039). (NA 4/11; France24.com 2/11) South Sudan: South Sudan has become the newest (191 st ) member of the International Police Organization ( Interpol ), Interior Minister Alison Manani Magaya , said on November 4th. It is also a member of the East African Police Commissioners’ Association, and the Small Arms Bureau. (Miraya FM website, Juba 4/11) Tunisia: A court has issued an international arrest warrant against the widow of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat over alleged corruption, a charge Suha Arafat, who lives in Malta, denies. She was stripped of her Tunisian citizenship in 2007. (©AFP,Tunis 31/10 2011) http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series Wiley

PIRACY: Gulf of Guinea Assessment Mission

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2011
ISSN
0001-9844
eISSN
1467-825X
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-825X.2011.04203.x
Publisher site
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Abstract

Steps are taken towards developing an integrated regional strategy. In response to a request from President Boni Yayi of Benin UN Secretary‐General Ban Ki‐moon has deployed a team to assess the scope of the piracy threat in the Gulf of Guinea and make recommendations for possible UN support. The team is co‐led by Sammy Kum Buo , Director of the Africa II Division in the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA), and Mariam Sissoko , Country Representative of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Nigeria . It was to visit Benin, Nigeria, Gabon and Angola and meet representatives of the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ), the Economic Community of Central African States ( CEEAC ) and the Gulf of Guinea Commission, as well as Government officials and relevant national counterparts in each country. In October Mr. Ban urged States and regional organizations in the Gulf of Guinea to develop a comprehensive and integrated strategy, which will entail the drafting of domestic laws and regulations ‐ where they do not exist ‐ that will criminalize piracy and armed robbery at sea. A regional framework will include information‐sharing and operational coordination mechanisms in the region. (UN News 10/11) Indian Ocean: Denmark ’s Minister for Development Cooperation Christian Friis Bach has called the abduction of two aid workers (1 Dane, 1 US citizen) sent to Somalia by the Danish Refugee Council “tragic”. They were working on mine clearance and their kidnapping will impact on future work. A Somali security official told reporters they were kidnapped by armed gunmen near the airport at Galkayo town in the north‐central area. It later emerged they had been taken by pirates who were demanding $9m+ for their release. ( Politiken website, Copenhagen 25/10, 3/11; BBC news online 25/10 ) The Indian Navy aboard warship INS Sukanya patrolling the Gulf of Aden on November 10 th thwarted a multi‐boat attack by pirates on merchant vessels, apprehending 26 Somali pirates and confiscating arms and ammunition, in the fifth successful anti‐piracy operation since September, PTI news agency said ( 11/11 ). Sukanya, currently deployed under the operational control of the Western Naval Command, was escorting a group of five merchant vessels through the Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor (IRTC) when the incident happened. (PTI news agency, New Delhi 11/11) IN BRIEF Cote d’Ivoire – France: France marked the resumption of security cooperation after a seven‐year hiatus with the delivery of 30 police vehicles and computer equipment on November 8 th . Ivorian Interior Minister Hamed Bakayoko predicted a new phase of “dynamic cooperation” to be sealed during President Alassane Ouattara’ s December state visit to France. (RNW 8/11) Ethiopia – Sweden: An Ethiopian court on November 3 rd dropped charges of participating in terrorism against two Swedish journalists, but they still face accusations of supporting terrorism. Johan Persson and Martin Schibbye , arrested on July 1st near the Somali border, are accused of entering the country illegally with members of the outlawed rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front ( ONLF ). ( © AFP, Addis Ababa 3/11) Francophonie: Senegalese Ombudsman, Serigne Diop , is the new head of the Association of Ombudsmen and Mediators of Francophonie (AOMF), Diop, Professor of Constitutional Law and former minister, was elected unanimously at the AOMF congress in Luxembourg. The AOMF, created in May 1998, with headquarters in Paris, France , draws its membership from 53 members across five continents and pursues objectives, essentially professional, for cooperation. (PANA, Dakar 19/11) Libya: European Union ( EU ) foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton , announced aid of €10m for capacity‐building of institutions and female organizations in Tripoli on November 12 th . She was speaking during the opening ceremony of the first women’s world conference. She also inaugurated the new bureau of the EU in Tripoli intended to reinforce cooperation. (PANA, Tripoli 12/11) Nigeria‐ France: French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe rounded off his three‐day official visit to Nigeria on November 13 th with a pledge to assist in Nigeria’s war against terror. In a meeting with his Nigerian counterpart, Olugbenga Ashiru , he condemned the Boko Haram insurgency, and said France could help through “intelligence and training” for security personnel. Juppe had earlier visited South Africa . (PANA, Lagos 13/11) Reunion – UK: The family of a former Royal Marine believed to have been murdered on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion said on November 20 th there had been a “cover‐up” after they were initially led to believe it was an accident. Carl Davies was working as a security guard to protect the area from the threat of piracy, when he died on November 9th. His parents believe the French authorities wanted to cover up the murder because it could damage tourism. (The Independent, London 20/11) Rwanda – Belgium: The Rwandan government has frozen all bank accounts of the Belgian Embassy in Kigali in response to Belgium blocking the accounts of the Rwandan Embassy in Brussels following a court case involving the Rwandan authorities and a Rwandan refugee businessman in Belgium, who demanded the return of a huge amount of money frozen by Kigali. (PANA, Kigali 10/11) Somalia – France: Somalia’s radical militant group, Al‐Shabaab , has “declared war” on France and its citizens after a satirical weekly news magazine Charlie Hebdo made the Prophet Mohammed their “guest editor”. The group has also accused France of assisting the Kenyan government in its war against Al‐Shabaab in the southern regions of Somalia (p.19039). (NA 4/11; France24.com 2/11) South Sudan: South Sudan has become the newest (191 st ) member of the International Police Organization ( Interpol ), Interior Minister Alison Manani Magaya , said on November 4th. It is also a member of the East African Police Commissioners’ Association, and the Small Arms Bureau. (Miraya FM website, Juba 4/11) Tunisia: A court has issued an international arrest warrant against the widow of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat over alleged corruption, a charge Suha Arafat, who lives in Malta, denies. She was stripped of her Tunisian citizenship in 2007. (©AFP,Tunis 31/10 2011)

Journal

Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series – Wiley

Published: Dec 1, 2011

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