The Gulf of Guinea and West Africa: a new focal point?

[davidbfpo]

Just an update:

A French-owned Luxembourg-flagged tanker with 17 crew members that went missing off Ivory Coast at the weekend is believed to have been hijacked by Nigerian pirates, the International Maritime Bureau said on Monday.

Note the hub is Nigeria and the commodity sought oil products.

Link:http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...9130A020130204

[davidbfpo]

Another example of the USA's long reach, as the BBC reports:

The former chief of the navy in Guinea-Bissau has been arrested and is being transferred to the US, local media have reported. Rear Admiral Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto was picked up on a boat in international waters near Cape Verde, a local broadcaster said.

Link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22030847

According to the IISS Military Balance Guinea-Bissau has a navy with two patrol boats and politely notes an EU SSR mission left in August 2010, an Angolan mission in 2012 and an ECOWAS mission then deployed. Well that's everything solved WAWA.

IIRC a Cape Verde VIP was in Washington DC last week, part of an African delegation visiting the Pentagon.

[davidbfpo]

It gets better! First a rear admiral, now the president is looking at being indicted in the USA.

Link:http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...9370YD20130408

[KingJaja]

David,

I don't care what foreign policy pundits say, but nabbing a serving African president to face a drugs trial in the US (like Noriega) is not a good mood.

There are several leaders in West Africa, most are SOBs - and they know it. The US cannot simply invade all of them and bring them to justice, they will oppose this and the US also needs their cooperation.

[davidbfpo]

The first comprehensive account if the situation in Guinea-Bissau I've seen, by a group of blog reporters, partly based on the recently published US court documents:http://globalvoicesonline.org/2013/0...y-allegations/

[KingJaja]

David,

You know we have meth labs in Lagos now?

I'm told the meth is for export.

[davidbfpo]

King Jaja,

Meth labs in Nigeria, even if for export, is a bad sign. I rely on the anecdotes given to me when out with US LE a few years ago in Montana. To my knowledge 'meth' is virtually unknown here in the UK. Is South Africa the market for the producers?