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Piracy: “a real industry”. Atalanta expands its area of ​​action to the east

(BRUSSELS2) “Pirate attacks are on the rise. And in areas they haven't reached so far, far from the Somali coast." The terms used by Major-General Buster Howes yesterday before the ambassadors of the Political and Security Committee (PSC) leave no room for doubt. "Piracy has become a real industry", explains the commander of the European anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean (EUNAVFOR Atalanta).

Extended area east of Oman

The pirates have, in fact, begun to operate, on a regular basis, in areas previously not used to circumvent the measures taken by both EUNAVFOR and the other counter-piracy forces. “They take more and more risks” says Buster Howes. In accordance with the mandate endorsed by the ministers last May (1), the commander of Operation Atalanta therefore presented to the ambassadors the new operational framework which makes it possible to extend the mission of European ships in the eastern part of the Indian Ocean. The new area of ​​action is located nearly 300 nautical miles east of Oman and completely encompasses the entire Seychelles archipelago. We are thus closer to India and Pakistan... than to Somalia (2). "This will enable EUNAVFOR units to operate more effectively further east of the Indian Ocean, giving them greater capability to disrupt and deter pirates in this region." Buster explained. A necessity !

Hackers take more risks

With the end of the monsoon season, the risk of piracy will double. Since the beginning of the year, the multinational forces present in the region have thusdismantled 90 pirate groups, half of these actions being carried out by EUNAVFOR ships". This has a deterrent effect. The use of VPDs, on-board protection teams, has also proven its usefulness. And Buster Howes hears"develop them". The question of the legal framework for prosecuting pirates remains a concern for the head of the Atalanta mission, as for most of the Member States. The ambassadors also discussed various possible options on the basis of a paper prepared by CMPD (3).

Remain mobilized, increase synergies...

The general also expressed his fears about the pressure on defense budgets. "We must continue to remain mobilized"to preserve our"capacity" answer. One of the solutions is to "strengthen synergies with the various partners" operating on the region. So the Russians, then the Chinese, began to "escort WFP or AMISOM boats"as EUNAVFOR or NATO ships already do. This constitutes an extension of their missions, since until now they have mainly focused on escorting merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden. Since January 2010, the multinational forces thus escorted 60 ships from the World Food Program as well as 35 ships from Amisom, the African peacekeeping force in Somalia (4).

Read also:
(1) The Atalanta operation authorized to extend its area of ​​action. The law meets reality
(2) Atalanta III will see its mission area extended a little further east
(3) Piracy: an "off shore" Somali tribunal would be the best option according to the EU
(4) On the previous balance sheet: 18 months after the start of Atalanta (3). A final review

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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