Piracy

The Emerging Threat from Piracy

The West African coast has been listed among the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) top seven piracy hotspots in the world. Piracy in West Africa has both political and economic causes. It often occurs in places where there is a lack of law enforcement on the seas, excessive poverty and resentment of commercially successful vessels. The coasts of parts of West Africa fulfill these three criteria. Our interviews in the region suggest that, apart from the situation in Somalia (in East Africa), West Africa has some of the most volatile and dangerous seas in Africa.

Among the other factors contributing to the emergence of piracy off the western African coast have been the proliferation of arms in the region (due to recent history of civil wars and weak state controls), as well as high levels of youth unemployment. Unemployed youths have been lured into criminal groups engaged in piracy or the theft of crude oil (referred to as illegal oil bunkering).

The International Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial Crime Services has, for instance, highlighted some areas in the sub-region, including Lagos and Bonny River (Nigeria), Conakry (Guinea) and Douala Outer Anchorage (Cameroon), as being piracy prone areas and cautioned mariners to be watchful when transiting those areas.

It has been estimated by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) that the majority of incidents of piracy (54 percent) in West Africa between 2001 and 2008 occurred in Nigeria. In the case of Nigeria, piracy is linked to the large scale of oil bunkering which is sold to vessels offshore. This trade has drawn in illegal oil buyers and arms traders in the Gulf of Guinea coast off Nigeria.

In November 2010 an unsuccessful attempt was made by unidentified armed men to board a sea vessel conveying logistical supplies for the UN Mission in Liberia in the waters off the coast of Liberia.

Given the increasing number of off-shore oil resources that have been discovered along the coast of West Africa (e.g. in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia), an area of particular concern could be attacks along these poorly policed territorial waters by pirates, either on oil rigs or against commercial vessels.

Effects of Piracy

The effects of piracy are quite far-reaching. In the immediate sub-region pirates have been reported to use proceeds from their activities to arm rebel groups (e.g. in the Niger Delta of Nigeria), thus posing a direct threat to the stability of affected countries. Piracy further adversely impacts domestic economies and, therefore, impacts political stability. Disruption of the fishing industry harms local economies and leaves people more susceptible to further impoverishment. As pirate attacks increase, states that cannot effectively combat pirates lose their economic capacity also because trading companies begin to avoid their territorial waters and ports, searching for safer alternatives. This negatively impacts the flow of foreign direct investment and trade.

Where pirates are allowed to operate successfully, it could be at the expense of the wider global economy, including the loss of goods meant to be traded between countries. This not only harms the countries themselves, but also provides a disincentive to companies wishing to ship their goods across international waters, with a consequent effect on global economic activity. Thus, as has been seen in the case of Somalia, piracy can actively hinder international economic development and reduce the benefits of globalization for both developing and developed countries.

Council Dynamics Relating to Piracy

The UN Security Council’s attention regarding the issue of piracy has been primarily focused on developments relating to Somali pirates. Legal issues have been a key focus for the Council in relation to Somali piracy and in particular how to ensure prosecution of suspected pirates and imprisonment in the case of convictions since few countries are willing to take this on. There has also been a growing recognition among Council members of the need to address piracy’s root causes.

However, the Council had already been apprised of the threat presented by piracy in West Africa. In his 7 July 2009 briefing to the Council on the situation in West Africa, the head of UNOWA, Said Djinnit, mentioned piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (together with other issues such as terrorist activities in the Sahel band and governance problems) as an emerging threat that could jeopardize ongoing peace efforts in the sub-region.

Since 2009, however, the Council focus has been absent. This is perhaps due to the relatively more pressing nature of the issue of piracy elsewhere - in the Gulf of Aden - but also probably due to lack of requisite attention to or awareness about the latent threat that piracy poses to peace and security in West Africa.