India To Hold First Naval Exercise ‘Aikeyme’ With 10 African Nations

India will conduct its first major naval exercise, ‘Aikeyme’, with 10 African nations to strengthen maritime ties and counter threats.

The exercise, called ‘Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement’, will take place off Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, from April 13 to 18.

Meanwhile, India will also launch ‘Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar’ next month.

Indian sailors and 44 foreign personnel will jointly operate INS Sunayna. The ship will patrol the southwest Indian Ocean from April 5 to May 8.

Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, Deputy Chief of the Navy, said these efforts will make India the preferred security partner in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

“We are strengthening naval ties under the government’s ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision,” he said.

India closely monitors China’s activities in Africa and threats from Somali pirates and Houthi rebels.

The Navy has a permanent warship in the Gulf of Aden and will deploy more if piracy increases, Sobti added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate Aikeyme, which includes Tanzania, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and South Africa.

The exercise will focus on boarding operations, arms firing, helicopter drills, search and rescue, and anti-piracy strategies.

At the same time, the IOS Sagar mission will see INS Sunayna making port calls in Dar-es-Salaam, Nacala, Port Louis, Port Victoria, and Male.

The ship will also conduct EEZ surveillance for Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius, and Seychelles.

India and African nations will increase cooperation against piracy, drug smuggling, and illegal trafficking through information-sharing and surveillance.

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