In recent years, Africa has seen an influx of foreign partnerships from countries looking to gain a strategic advantage on the global stage. Among countries like the US and Russia, India also seems to be on the hunt for Africa’s cooperation.
- India has launched the India-Africa Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) initiative to strengthen its naval influence in the Indian Ocean.
- The initiative includes naval exercises with up to ten African countries, such as Kenya, South Africa, and Madagascar.
- The program aims to challenge China’s presence in the Indian Ocean.
This was recently demonstrated by the institution of the India-Africa Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) initiative.
India launched the program to bolster its naval influence in the Indian Ocean. The program will be held from April 13 to 18, as noted by the country’s Ministry of Defense.
As per the initiative, India is attempting to challenge China’s strong presence in the Indian Ocean area by holding naval maneuvers with several African countries, the first such maritime exercise, as reported by Bloomberg.
India’s deputy head of naval staff, Tarun Sobti, told reporters in New Delhi on Monday that up to ten nations, including Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Mozambique, and Madagascar, will take part in the exercises.
He noted that there would be a couple of phases to the exercise, including live fire drills.
India and its African partners have reiterated their commitment to strengthen their relationship in the face of maritime threats.
These include combating criminal operations like human trafficking, fighting piracy, and reducing uncontrolled fishing through better monitoring and information exchange.
“India and Africa give immense importance to maritime security […]. A large scale multilateral maritime engagement exercise with African Countries, titled as […] ‘AIKEYME’, which means ‘Unity’ in Sanskrit, is an initiative in this direction to enhance interoperability with the navies/ maritime agencies,” the statement read.
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Alongside training in seamanship, boarding, search, and seizure activities, the harbor phase of the training, one of the phases alluded to above, will involve command post exercises centered on intelligence exchange and anti-piracy operations.
During another stage of the training, called the sea phase, abilities in small weapons fire, helicopter operations, search and rescue, and navigation will all be improved.
The six days of the combined activities will take place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
