UN to fight against piracy in Gulf of Guinea

LIBREVILLE, Gabon - A UN mission is in the Gabonese capital Libreville to evaluate ways to fight against piracy in the oil-rich Gulf of Guinea, according to an official statement obtained by Xinhua on Tuesday.

The mission held talks after its arrival on Monday with officials of the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) and all other parties taking part in the fight against maritime piracy.

Piracy is carried out within a geographical space that specifically covers four Gulf of Guinea countries in the Atlantic Ocean, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe and Gabon.

Another Atlantic country in West Africa Benin is affected by the negative consequences of this phenomenon.

The number of ships moving along Benin's coast have considerably reduced from 150 to fewer than 50 per month.

The UN team began its mission last week in Benin, then to neighboring Nigeria, where it held talks with leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

After Gabon, the UN experts are expected to head to Angola, which hosts the headquarters of the Gulf of Guinea Commission.