EU to Launch New Anti-Piracy Mission

U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate Airman Ricardo J. Reyes

The European Union on Monday approved plans to launch a fresh civilian-led mission in the Horn of Africa to help fight piracy and instability in the region.

The EUCAP Nester mission, as it is being called, is aimed at creating “lasting solutions to the scourge of piracy,” said EU’s foreign policy chief of the EUCAP Nestor mission, Catherine Ashton.

In a statement, the EU said that around 175 people will be deployed to help monitor territorial waters off the coasts of Djibouti, Kenya, the Seychelles, Somalia and eventually Tanzania.

The EUCAP team will be charged with strengthening the sea-going maritime capacities of the countries in the region, as well as provide training for coastal police forces and judges in Somalia. The EUCAP team will also seek to provide expert advice on legal, policy and operational matters concerning maritime security, deliver coast guard training and help to procure the necessary equipment, the EU said.

The mission will complement two ongoing EU operations in the region, including the EUNAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta; which has an extensive naval-based mandate to fight piracy, and the EUTM Somalia; which provides training to Somali security forces. In May, EU forces attacked pirate supplies on the Somali shore after pledging to extend its missions to include Somalia’s coast.

The EU said it had allocated a budget of EUR 22.8 million to help fund the mission for two years. EUCAP Nestor will have its headquarters in Djibouti, where training is to take place.

Dow Jones & Company, Inc. contributed to this article

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