I
have been asked to look at the security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea. There
will be an international meeting on the subject in Lisbon on 11 July. States
from the region, and partner nations from the EU and elsewhere, including
Brazil and the US, are supposed to attend.
The
meeting comes out of a growing concern about the security challenges facing
Coastal West Africa, as the next expansion area of a crisis that has shaped the
Sahel during the recent past. The sea lanes are along West Africa are vital for
many interests, including the oil and fishing interests of European countries.
As
I get deeper into the subject I come to old conclusions: poor governance in the
region, extremely weak states, predatory elites, inadequate cooperation
policies on the side of rich countries, widespread disrespect for human rights,
all that play a role and seriously contribute to a complex situation that could
easily get out of hand in the future.
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