At dawn, the canoes leave the beaches of the Gulf of Guinea. Offshore, merchant ships hug the coast, and some crews have learned to fear boarding. In 2011 and 2012 the Security Council adopted resolutions 2018 and 2039 on piracy in the region. President Macky Sall places West African maritime security among the commitments of his candidacy for the office of UN Secretary-General.
The Yaoundé Code. In 2013, twenty-five states of West and Central Africa adopted in Yaoundé a code of conduct against piracy and armed robbery at sea. It sets the framework; the security of a coast is then won ship by ship.
Beyond piracy. Illegal fishing deprives coastal states of resources and revenue. Drug trafficking, migrant smuggling and polluting discharges come on top. A single patrol vessel and a single intelligence centre can serve against all of these threats.
Cooperation among neighbours. The navies of the region are modest. Shared information, trained coastguards and joint operations count for more than one more purchased vessel. The African Union adopted its integrated maritime strategy to 2050 in 2014, which sets out this direction.
A supporting role. The United Nations is not meant to patrol. It funds training and coordinates partners, then reports to the Security Council, where the subject must stay on the agenda even when incidents fall.
The Atlantic next door. Senegal, a country of fishermen with more than five hundred kilometres of coastline, has a direct interest in a safe ocean. Twelve years at its head taught President Macky Sall that the security of ports conditions the price of goods. The vision statement filed with the United Nations ties peace, security and development together.
Africa at its heart, the world in its sights.
Security Council resolutions 2018 (2011) and 2039 (2012), the Yaoundé Code of Conduct (2013) and the African Union's 2050 Integrated Maritime Strategy are public. Read all public positions at www.mackysall.net