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

[davidbfpo]

The maritime dimension of China's presence around Africa has not appeared here before IIRC, but this diplomatic act may change matters:

Officials from 24 African countries met in Cameroon last month and called for China to stop illegal fishing off the West African coast.

Greenpeace in 2013:

reported that the number of Chinese fishing boats operating in African waters soared from 13 in 1985 to 462 in 2013. The report said there were 114 cases of illegal fishing over an eight-year period in the waters off Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone. It said the boats were operating without licenses or in prohibited areas.

Link:http://atlantablackstar.com/2016/01/07/24-african-countries-ban-china-from-fishing-illegally-in-their-waters/?

I was unaware that Chinese trawlers were active in the Gulf of Guinea and adjacent seas; although they have been reported, if not hijacked off the Somali coast.

The report suggests the fish are offloaded locally and have caused havoc amongst local economies.

It maybe interested to see how this activity develops. China has made some investments in the region, IIRC far less than East Africa (railways and oil).

The main thread is: China's Expanding role in Africa:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=2164

[Bill Moore]

The maritime dimension of China's presence around Africa has not appeared here before IIRC, but this diplomatic act may change matters:Greenpeace in 2013:
Link:http://atlantablackstar.com/2016/01/07/24-african-countries-ban-china-from-fishing-illegally-in-their-waters/?

I was unaware that Chinese trawlers were active in the Gulf of Guinea and adjacent seas; although they have been reported, if not hijacked off the Somali coast.

The report suggests the fish are offloaded locally and have caused havoc amongst local economies.

It maybe interested to see how this activity develops. China has made some investments in the region, IIRC far less than East Africa (railways and oil).

There are two relevant threads: China's Expanding role in Africa:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=2164 and The Gulf of Guinea:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ad.php?t=11204

This is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to China's exploitation of Africa and Latin America. Either Argentina or Chile recently sunk a Chinese fishing boat that was fishing illegally off their coast. China has a lot of hungry mouths to feed, so food security is leading it into a confrontational mode with many countries.

[davidbfpo]

Bill,

It was the Argentine Navy that sank a Chinese trawler, in March 2016. I note other Chinese vessels were nearby in this report, with video:https://navaltoday.com/2016/03/16/vi...-fishing-boat/

[davidbfpo]

A detailed overview of Mauritania via online 'World Politics Review', so it maybe behind a registration wall - so an experiment to post here.

A taster:

Mauritanian politics and society have been perennially buffeted by the storms of racial tensions, ethnic cleavages and political volatility.

Link: http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/a...stability-hold

[davidbfpo]

A rare, first-hand report on the situation by a freelance journalist; sub-titled:

Guinea-Bissau has long been labelled a narco-state. Today it is likely that the West African country continues to be a major hub for cocaine. The losers in the drug deals are its citizens.

She ends with:

Decades after Guinea-Bissau’s hard-won battle for freedom from colonial rule, the country is still barely functional, kept from collapse only by the presence of international agencies, and constantly at risk of state capture by drug gangs. The next year, which is supposed to include parliamentary and presidential elections, will be crucial in determining where the country goes next. But, for now, Guinea-Bissau remains a country on the edge.

Link:http://globalinitiative.net/guinea-b...-drug-economy/

[davidbfpo]

A rare catch this article. Two "busts":

On March 9, Guinea-Bissau recorded its biggest cocaine bust yet after discovering almost 800 kilograms (1,764 pounds) of the narcotic in a fish truck bound for Mali.
Nearby, authorities in the archipelago of Cape Verde found 9.6 tons of cocaine on a Panama-flagged vessel, one of the biggest drug seizures ever outside top producer Colombia. The find has an estimated value of $720 million, or the equivalent of 41 percent of Cape Verde’s economy, according to UN and World Bank data.

Link:https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...as-transit-hub

[davidbfpo]

A BBC report, with some satellite help from Oceanmind based @ Oxford, England; which is also available to Sierra Leone and at the end there is an answer of sorts:

investigates illegal and unsustainable fishing off the west coast of Africa to find out how one of the most fertile ecosystems on earth has been pushed to the brink.

Link:https://www.oceanmind.global/ and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-...-africa-s-fish