The Gulf of Guinea's pirates continue to emulate their East Coast brothers with a recent rash of kidnappings against local officials and Chinese fishermen, but also have engaged in attacks from the sea. Last fall, AMC targeted Cameroon's 200 million barrel oil reserves by attacking offshore oil platforms. This time, they seem to be raising funds with maritime crime, including a major bank robbery using a get-away boat.
Unlike in Somalia, however, Cameroon's security forces have dealt with the pirates ruthlessly, killing 18 of the bank robbers during a high speed boat chase.
AMC is the maritime spin-off of freedom fighters from the Bakassi peninsula, essentially a mangrove swamp full of fish and oil. The area, which was formerly disputed between Nigeria and Cameroon, is yet another example of the arbitrary decisions by Victorian-era British diplomats and cartographers which still impact the world's economy and security.
The USN has conducted episodic engagements in the region with Africa Partnership Stations, but this economically vital and volatile area currently plays second fiddle for naval force allocation compared to other parts of Africa.
The opinions and views expressed in this post are those of the author alone and are presented in his personal capacity. They do not necessarily represent the views of U.S. Department of Defense, the US Navy, or any other agency.
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