Publication

This brief highlights that the Gulf of Guinea saw an alarming increase in piracy in 2016 and it's now considered to be the most dangerous zone in the world for seafarers. In response, the text's author outlines 1) how regional maritime security cooperation is being hampered by a lack of coordination and resources as well as legal questions over the categorization of piracy; 2) how political instability, terrorist threats, illegal fishing and other factors in West Africa and the Sahel are exacerbating the region's maritime security problems; and 3) what the EU is doing to help tackle piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.