Within the Gulf of Guinea, gunmen have kidnapped 4 fishermen in Akwa Ibom amidst rising militancy in the region. 

Access the latest Triton Scout Maritime Security Threat Assessment for the week commencing Monday 4th October. 

The Nigerian Navy and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission are collaborating to combat oil bunkering in the Niger Delta and thereby challenge the militancy in the region. Meanwhile, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime praised the Nigerian Deep Blue Project for its contribution to the lowest incidence of piracy in 2021 since Q2 2019. In the wider West African region, there have been calls this week for increased collaboration initiatives between ECOWAS states to combat piracy, as ensuring maritime security is beyond the capabilities of each individual state alone. Furthermore, since its initiation in May 2021, the Gulf of Guinea Declaration on Suppression of Piracy has been garnering increased support in Asia, demonstrating a wider international commitment within the shipping industry to combat piracy in the Gulf of Guinea region.

Within Libya there is a promising, yet modest, withdrawal of foreign militants ahead of a conference on Libyan stability later this month. The United States military has also entered the conversation to push for the December elections to go ahead as planned.

Early this week, Kenya established a navy base in disputed Indian Ocean waters for the purpose of counterterrorism and maritime-security efforts at the newly created Lamu Port. However, this is days before the ICJ is set to rule on the longstanding maritime dispute between Kenya and Somalia.