AFRICAN UNION DISCUSSES NEW STRATEGY AGAINST PIRACY

The African Union has called for joint efforts by member countries in the fight against piracy. The participation of African nations in the war against piracy is likely to improve as the African Union (AU) rallied for an integrated strategy to curb the vice, the AU said ahead of special meeting of maritime security experts in Addis Ababa to discuss the African Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIM-Strategy).

"Piracy has become a major threat generating or exacerbating political and social instability in the surroundings. Drug and human trafficking, financing the purchase of weapons, oil spills and other environmental crimes, are vulnerabilities and threats that weaken the continent".

"Over the past decade, maritime security and safety have become a major challenge for several African coastal countries. To address these developments which have a negative impact on Africa's growth, the AU has put together an AIM-strategy aiming to achieve a comprehensive understanding of existing and potential challenges and allocation of resources to identified priorities", the Union said.

It would be recalled that Africa Ministers in charge of maritime transport met late last year adopted the African Maritime Transport Charter on Maritime, Security, Safety and Protection of the Marine Environment in Africa. The aim is to foster a united approach to industry threats like piracy.
Representatives from 36 AU member States, Regional Economic Communities, European Union, African and International Organizations were part of the conference held in Durban, South Africa.