UN Security Council condemns acts of piracy in Gulf of Guinea

The UN Security Council voted unanimously here Monday to adopt Resolution 2018, which voiced condemnation of piracy in West Africa and recommends steps to combat such illegal activities. In the resolution, the 15-member council "condemns all acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea committed off the coast of the states of the Gulf of Guinea." According to reports by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the UN Department of Political Affairs (DPA), piracy in the Gulf, which borders West African coastal countries from Ghana to Gabon, has been on the rise in recent years. Resolution 2018 "welcomes the intention to convene a summit of the Gulf of Guinea heads of state in order to consider a comprehensive response in the region and encourages the states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GCC) to develop a comprehensive strategy." The members of the council said that the concerned African states and organizations should work to develop domestic laws and regulations to criminalize piracy and armed robbery on the seas in accordance with relevant international agreements that address the safety and security of navigation, the resolution said. They added that the countries should work on "the development of a regional framework to counter piracy and armed robbery at sea, including information-sharing and operational coordination mechanisms in the region." Resolution 2018 also addressed cooperation between states and regional organizations and the shipping and insurance industries, saying that along with the IMO, these entities should work together to provide advice and guidance to ships navigating the gulf. This should include advice on "avoidance, evasion, and defensive techniques and measures to take if under threat of attack, or attack when sailing in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea, " the resolution said. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon indicated in his last report that he will dispatch a mission to the Gulf of Guinea to assess the situation there with regards to piracy and armed robbery. Monday's resolution welcomed this decision.