French Navy and Yaoundé Architecture have reviewed the piracy attack that took place early this year on board the Danish tanker, Monjasa Reformer in Congolese waters.
The move came up at the just-concluded Main Planning Conference (MPC) for Grand African Nemo 2023, held in Châtenay-en-France, France.
The conference had in attendance the Deputy Commander of the Atlantic Maritime Zone (ACZM), Rear Admiral d’Hébrail and Head of the Information and Communications, Yaoundé Interregional Coordination Centre (CIC), Captain Bell Bell.
Also, representatives of Yaoundé Architecture and the 19 navies bordering the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) as well as numerous regional, European and international partners were present.
During the two-day conference, participants took part in an exercise where scenarios, which were as close as possible to the concerns of the riparian states and the maritime safety challenges in the area, were developed and solutions given.
The exercise resulted in multi-faceted solutions that addressed illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, piracy, drug and illicit trafficking, the fight against pollution and legal proceedings.
Also, the French Navy and Yaoundé Architecture have concluded plans to hold the Grand African NEMO 2023 at the Eastern Gulf of Guinea from October 10 to 15, 2023.
The Grand African NEMO is an international operational cooperation exercise designed to help, develop and strengthen maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea by supporting the Yaoundé Process.
The yearly regional exercise will see the participation of countries in the area as well as allied navies in the Gulf of Guinea
Since the Yaoundé summit in 2013, the French Navy has been organising joint African NEMO patrols three or four times a year, in conjunction with the Yaoundé architecture and the navies bordering the Gulf of Guinea.
These recurring exercises alternate from one area of the Gulf of Guinea to another, but always with the same objective, which includes strengthening the ability of the navies of the neighbouring and partner states to cooperate and act together as part of government action at sea, particularly as part of the European concept of Coordinated Maritime Presence (CMP).
