List 25 published on 11 July 2026 an analysis titled "Navies Protect Cable Ships from Pirate Skiffs: The Full Story" by Anant Gupta.
Fiber-optic cable laying ships in the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea, and waters off Somalia are especially vulnerable to pirate attacks. This analysis explains why they are vulnerable and efforts to protect them as they perform their vital functions.
War on the Rocks published on 17 September 2025 a commentary titled "Russia Is Shrewdly Playing the Long Game in Africa" by Hanna Notte.
Russia's Africa Corps is methodically replacing the Wagner Group in Africa's Sahel region and is looking to expand elsewhere in West and Central Africa. Russia seeks to avoid high risk missions and focus on training of local military and law enforcement. Because of its preoccupation with the war in Ukraine, Russia is playing the long game in Africa.
The Associated Press published on 31 March 2025 an article titled "China Says 3 Chinese Crew Members Suspected of Being Kidnapped from a Boat Off Ghana Are Safe" by Francis Kokutse.
Chinese-owned fishing vessels often register as Ghanaian in order to fish legally in Ghanaian waters. Three Chinese crew members on one of these vessels were believed to have been kidnapped by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea but were subsequently declared to be safe by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Neither China nor Ghana has released details of the episode.
The Al Jazeera Centre for Studies published on 27 January 2025 an analysis titled "The New Battleground: Competing International Interests in the Gulf of Guinea" by Hakeem Alade Najimdeen, a Nigerian researcher.
The author looks at the interests of the United States, China, Russia, France, United Kingdon, India, Turkey, and Japan in the Gulf of Guinea and the competition among these countries for influence there.
The South China Morning Post published on 29 December 2024 an article titled "In Africa's Gulf of Guinea, China Is Proving It Is Master of the Sea" by Jevans Nyabiage.
China is paying increasing attention to security in the Gulf of Guinea where its shipping interests have been subject to attack and littoral African countries have requested assistance in preventing attacks on international shipping. This is also in China's long-term interest to extend its military influence in the region.
The South China Morning Post published on 9 December 2024 an article titled "Maritime Threats High on Agenda as Chinese Navy Hosts Gulf of Guinea Security Forum" by Seong Hyeon Choi.
China hosted a two-day forum on the security situation in the Gulf of Guinea in Shanghai for representative of 18 countries from the region.
The Center for Naval Analyses published in October 2024 a study titled "The Military and Security Dimensions of the PRC's Africa Presence: Changes in a Time of Global Shocks" by Tim Ditter, Kaia Haney, Tsun-Kai Tsai, and Carita Reid.
The study concludes that China could use Africa as the testing ground for its aspirations of security assistance globally through the implementation of the Global Security Initiative, potentially foreshadowing a future more globally active PLA military and security presence.
The Maritime Executive published on 9 April 2024 an article titled "Chinese Trawlers and Warming Waters Fuel West Africa Fishing Crisis" by Robert Paarlberg.
Fish catches by traditional fishing communities along the West African coast have declined significantly over the past three decades and put the livelihoods of these people in jeopardy. There are multiple reasons for this situation: climate change, illegal fishing by Chinese long-distance trawlers, and too many African canoes in the water.
The Diplomat published on 20 February 2024 a commentary titled "China Continues Its Search for a Maritime Presence in West Africa" by Lea Thome.
The author suggests China is continuing its effort to identify a location in West Africa for a naval facility. The current focus is on Gabon.
The U.S. Naval War College posted early in 2023 a 48 minute podcast titled "Maritime Competition in African Waters" with Captain Kamal-Deen Ali (Ghana Navy retired) and questions by Isaac Kardon, U.S. Naval War College, and Naunihal Singh, National War College.
Captain Ali responded to a wide range of questions related to maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, including illegal fishing, piracy, food security, mining, and great power competition. He demonstrated a thorough understanding of all these issues.
The Stimson Center published in July 2023 a major report titled "Charting a Blue Future for Cooperation between West Africa and China on Sustainable Fisheries" by Sam Geall, Carolyn Gruber, Regina Lam, Lily Schlieman, Lauren Shea, U. Rashid Sumaila, and Sally Yozell.
Over the past decade, Chinese owned and flagged distant water fishing vessels have expanded their presence in West Africa. The Stimson Center coordinated a comprehensive review of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, fisheries management, and the role of China in the development of West Africa's sustainable blue economy.
This report offers the governments of West African states and China clear, concise, and actionable recommendations to foster sustainable fisheries management and counter IUU fishing in the Gulf of Guinea and beyond.
The South China Morning Post published on 30 April 2023 an article titled "China Donates Patrol Boat to Sierra Leone to Tackle Illegal Fishing and Piracy off West Africa" by Jevans Nyabiage.
China donated a patrol boat to Sierra Leone to deal with illegal fishing. This is part of a pattern of donations to countries in West Africa to combat both piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and illegal fishing in offshore waters. Much of the legal and illegal fishing is attributed to China's distant-water fishing fleet.
African Arguments published on 31 March 2022 a commentary titled "'It's Like Kicking Our Brothers': Aboard Trawlers Fishing Illegally in W. Africa" by Hans Lucht.
This is a personalized account of illegal fishing, mostly by Chinese trawlers, in the waters off Ghana.
Brookings published on 2 February 2022 an analysis titled "The Future of Russia-Africa Relations" by Joseph Siegle.
The author concludes Russia is not relying on conventional statecraft in Africa but emphasizing asymmetric (and often extralegal) practices for influence including mercenaries, arms for resource deals, opaque contracts, election interference, and disinformation.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies published on 20 December 2021 an analysis titled "Is China Building a New String of Pearls in the Atlantic Ocean?" by Bonny Lin, Jude Blanchette, Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., and Mvemba Phezo Dizolele.
This is a detailed look at recent reports that China may be seeking to establish a military facility at the port of Bata in the Gulf of Guinea. The government of Equatorial Guinea denies the report. China has yet to officially comment on its military intentions in Equatorial Guinea, but Beijing has started to make a case for a military base in the Gulf of Guinea. The situation is reminiscent of the period leading up to the announcement of China's first overseas military base in Djibouti.
The Associated Press published on 6 May 2021 an article titled "General: China's Africa Outreach Poses Threat from Atlantic" by Lolita C. Baldor.
General Stephen Townsend, the head of U.S. Africa Command, said China has approached countries stretching from Mauritania to Namibia on Africa's Atlantic coast in an effort to establish a naval facility where the People's Liberation Army Navy can rearm and repair warships. China is "making big bets on Africa."
