Piracy Threat off West African Coast Could Rival That of Somalia’s

By: EW News Desk Team   Date: 15 August 2011

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15 August 2011

Reported pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea, which stretches from Guinea to Angola, has risen rapidly this year as concerns grow over whether the region might descend into the next Somalia.

"I believe we are nearly at a crisis here and if it's a crisis, there has to be action," said Rear Admiral Kenneth J. Norton, deputy chief of staff for strategy, resources and plans for U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, to the Associated Press.

The main areas of concern are off the coasts of Nigeria and Benin. According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), there have been 22 reported cases of piracy off the adjacent coasts so far this year – most of which have escalated from low-level armed robberies to hijackings, cargo thefts and large-scale robberies.

The situation in Benin is particularly troubling, as the country had no reported cases of piracy last year. Earlier this week, London-based insurers Lloyd's Market Association added Benin to a list of areas deemed to be high risk due the escalation of pirate attacks. The move also placed Nigeria and other nearby waters to be in the same risk category as Somalia.

“Dozens of ships are already fleeing our shores due to fears of these pirates,” said Benin’s Navy Chief of Staff Maxime Ahoyo in The Guardian.

To make matters worse, many analysts believe that a large number of pirate attacks in the Gulf has gone unreported as numerous ships carry illegal oil cargo while others fear that their insurance rates may rise.

“It's definitely more than we are showing in ours stats. We are calling for vessels to report more when incidents happen. This is the only way for a realistic picture of the crisis,” said Cyrus Moody, a manager at the IMB.

Early this year, a study by the US-based NGO One Earth Future Foundation, estimated the annual cost of piracy in Somalia – including extortion money, costs of higher insurance premiums, re-routing ships, anti-piracy security and the impact on regional economies –ranged between US$7-12 billion.

While the situation in Western Africa has yet to hit Somali-like levels, there is a high possibility that the conditions may worsen unless something is done about it.

Presently, the US and other Western nations have an anti-piracy armada patrolling the waters off East Africa. However, there is no co-ordinated effort within Western Africa to control the piracy.

"Instead of inter-agency co-operation, what we have been getting is inter-agency rivalry," said Captain D.O. Labinjo to the Associated Press. “Somebody must take charge and whenever the functions overlap, somebody has to cede.”

Last Thursday, Benin's president, Boni Yayi met with his Nigerian counterpart Goodluck Jonathan to discuss the piracy issue. Officials from Nigeria's Navy, its maritime industry and other groups also met with US officials last week in order to formulate anti-piracy strategies.

According to The Guardian, most experts believe that the majority of the pirates are Nigerians. Antony Goldman, a West Africa analyst at London-based PM Consulting, told the paper that the illegal sale of oil had created "a culture of lawlessness" in the coastal zone.

"In Somalia, you've got no government. In Nigeria there is a maritime capacity, but there's an issue of the extent to which the security forces are working with armed groups."


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