Safety in the Red Sea Corridor

The Institute for Security Studies published on 2 October 2019 a short piece titled "Safety in the Red Sea Corridor Can't Be Taken for Granted" by Omar S. Mahmood.

The principal argument is that as geopolitical interest in the Red Sea region increases, lessons from other maritime regions will be key to its stability.

Piracy Off Somalia Remains a Threat

The Institute for Security Studies published on 28 June 2019 an analysis titled "Can We Afford To Drop the Guard against Piracy?" by Denys Reva.

Pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia have dropped from 237 incidents in 2011 to nine in 2017 and just three attempted attacks in 2018. However criminal networks continue to operate in Somalia, and as long as they exist, the threat of a resurgence of piracy remains.

Improving Security in the Western Indian Ocean

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) published on 23 May 2018 an analysis titled "From Djibouti to Jeddah, the Western Indian Ocean Needs Security" by Christian Bueger, Cardiff University, and Timothy Walker, ISS.

Twenty littoral countries in southern and eastern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula adopted in 2009 the original Djibouti Code of Conduct that deals with maritime security threats. In 2017, they added the Jeddah Amendments. The guidelines now cover piracy, trafficking of arms and narcotics, illegal wildlife trade, illegal oil bunkering and theft, human trafficking and smuggling, and the illegal dumping of toxic waste. The issue now is how to move from declarations of intent to effective action. In addition, three key states--India, Pakistan and Iran--are not members of the amended Djibouti Code of Conduct.

Maritime Domain Awareness in the Western Indian Ocean

The Institute for Security Studies published on 4 July 2017 a policy brief titled "Effective Maritime Domain Awareness in the Western Indian Ocean" by Christian Bueger, Cardiff University.

The policy brief reviews current activities to identify opportunities through low-tech solutions, human resources and collaboration for improvement of maritime domain awareness in the Western Indian Ocean. Despite the efforts of regional projects, such as the Djibouti Code of Conduct and the Programme to Promote Regional Maritime Security, the region remains dependent on international navies for reliable maritime domain awareness.

Maritime Security in the Western Indian Ocean

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University published on 27 May 2017 an analysis titled "Maritime Security in the Western Indian Ocean: A Discussion with Assis Malaquias." The author is a former professor at the Center.

The author provides insights on the relevance of the Western Indian Ocean in the larger maritime and security agenda on the African continent.

Fighting Somali Piracy: Round Two

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) published on 27 March 2017 a commentary titled "Fighting Somali Piracy: Don't Get the Next Steps Wrong" by Timothy Walker, ISS Pretoria.

In spite of the first successful hijacking this month of a commercial ship off Somalia since 2012, the author does not foresee a resurgence of piracy to the levels existing between 2008 and 2012.

Africa Needs to Rethink Piracy Challenge

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in South Africa published on 10 March 2014 a piece titled "Fewer Pirates, Different Risks: Africa Needs to Rethink Its Approach to Maritime Security" by Timothy Walker, researcher at ISS.

There has been a sharp decline in piracy in waters off Africa.  The author argues that the Djibouti Code of Conduct is a laudable starting point upon which to build future maritime security capacity in Africa.  But African maritime stakeholders now need to implement the 2050 African Integrated Maritime Strategy, which was adopted by the African Union early this year, as well as become involved in creating and implementing national and regional integrated maritime strategies.