West African states working on multinational security structure
West African states are working together to implement an agreement that will produce a multinational structure to combat elements such as piracy, drug trafficking, illegal fishing and human trafficking in the Gulf of Guinea.
The initiative will divide the Gulf into three zones and facilitate trans-national operations to deal more effectively with the growing problem of maritime crime in the region. Illegal bunkering alone, using stolen fuel, is estimated to be worth more than $70 million a year to criminals.
Governments across the region, including some that are land locked but rely significantly on coastal states for commercial links,
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