Morocco, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire conduct Naval Exercise

Morocco’s Royal Navy conducted an at sea military exercise with Senegalese and Ivorian Navies focusing on improving maritime safety and hostage rescue operations.

Ivorian news outlet Fratmat.com reported that the drills took place off Côte d’Ivoire’s coast on the sidelines of the participation of the three navies in the Obangame Express 2017 maritime exercises under the supervision of the US Africa command, Africom.

The exercise between the three navies reflects the excellent political and economic ties between the three West African countries bordering the Atlantic.

Morocco’s Hassan II frigate took part in the exercise along with Cote d’Ivoire’s patrol boat, Emergence and Senegal’s Fouladou.

The three navies have earlier participated in the Obangame Express 2017, which aims at providing participating countries with an opportunity to work together, share information and refine tactics, techniques and procedures in order to assist Gulf of Guinea maritime nations with building capacity to monitor and enforce their territorial waters and exclusive economic zones.

The Participating nations in the Obangame Express 2017 include Angola, Benin, Belgium, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Congo, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, Togo, Turkey, the United States, and the United Kingdom, as well as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).