MARITIME SECURITYOffshore Africa: Securing a ContinentDrum Cussac readies local countries to address the scourge of piracy, which up until now has been a largely international endeavor, with a focused ‘capacity building effort.’By Sarah Yuenhe late Nelson Mandela once said: “I dream of an High Stakes: International Interests and EffortAfrica which is in peace with itself.” At the EU-Afri- With African exports to European countries at an all time T ca summit in Brussels last month, European leaders high, and the UK, France and the United States jostling for urged their African counterparts to facilitate that dream by the title of the biggest investor in Africa, the stakes have never shouldering more of the security burden in their countries, been higher, nor the waterways so important. NATO ships, both onshore and offshore. The summit coincided with reports joined by other international vessels, are into their seventh of renewed piracy activity in the Gulf of Aden; ongoing at- year of protecting international shipping in the Gulf of Aden tacks on shipping in the Gulf of Guinea, and explosions and and off the Horn of Africa. While the mandate was extended mass arrests in Kenya, all serving to underline the scale of for two more years in 2012, a second extension is not guar-that challenge. anteed. 22 Maritime Professional 2Q 2014| | 18-33 Q2 MP2014.indd 22 18-33 Q2 MP2014.indd 22 5/16/2014 2:51:30 PM5/16/2014 2:51:30 PM