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I
INTRODUCTION
In general parlance, piracy is robbery at sea. Legally, it refers to certain acts of violence committed either on the high seas' or in an exclusive economic zone (EEZ).2 The term can have a narrow legal meaning for establishing jurisdiction over particular illegal activities, or it can be used broadly to cover all forms of sea robbery and violence at sea.3
Piracy is one of the most significant and direct threats to maritime security. It has a destabilising impact on the freedom of navigation, maritime trade and international peace and security. Among other causes, political instability, lawlessness and lack of good governance have contributed to the evolving trend of maritime piracy worldwide. Although there are many hotspots for piracy such as the Gulf of Aden, the Malacca Strait, the South China Sea and the Gulf of Oman, piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has been intensified significantly in scope and violence over the past years.
The objectives of this paper are to examine and analyse the nature of maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and the current arrangements to address the piracy in the region. The paper begins by attempting to delimit the Gulf of Guinea region and then addresses the historical background of piracy there. The paper further analyses the contributory factors leading to piratical acts, the impact of piracy in the region, the response to piracy by regional and extra-regional states and the ultimate result of their actions.
II
THE GULF OF GUINEA REGION
The Gulf of Guinea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean. However, there are different views as to the area encompassed by the region. In the general sense, the area is understood to cover the entire West African coastal region. Sometimes, it is used to refer to an area that includes several West and Central African countries. This research confines the area to the 10 coastal countries of West and Central Africa that lie between Ghana and Angola. These 10 countries, commonly called the 'Gulf' states, are Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sao Tomé and Principe and Togo.
In terms of natural resources, the Gulf of Guinea is one of the richest regions in the world. It contains vast reserves of...