Morocco called for stronger collective maritime cooperation as it opened the fourth annual African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS 2026) in Rabat, a partnership between the Royal Armed Forces and U.S. Naval and Marine Forces Europe-Africa.
Rear Admiral Mohamed Tahine, inspector of the Royal Moroccan Navy, said Morocco remains committed to building partnerships based on trust and cooperation to strengthen maritime security in Africa and beyond, citing the guidance of King Mohammed VI.
The summit coincides with the 250th anniversary of US independence, which was first recognized by Morocco, and follows Washington’s December 2020 recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, he said.
The gathering, running July 20-24, draws naval officials from more than 40 African nations and roughly 20 countries beyond the continent, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, South Korea, Brazil and Spain.
Tahine pointed to joint U.S.-African exercises such as African Lion, Obangame Express, Phoenix Express and Cutlass Express as evidence of sustained cooperation.
He described Africa’s maritime spaces as vital to trade and regional stability but exposed to threats including smuggling, piracy, illegal fishing, environmental change and maritime terrorism, saying no single country can address them alone.
Tahine also cited a joint initiative launched last week with U.S. Africa Command to establish an “African Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Center,” aimed at building African navies’ counterterrorism and crisis-response capacity through low-cost, scalable solutions.
