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tries along the Gulf of Guinea, the international community therefore cannot just watch from the sidelines. April saw navy ships from the United States, France, Germany, Brazil, the

Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Turkey and Portugal all con- verge on the Gulf of Guinea for the fourth annual counter- piracy exercise involving 31 vessels and 20 countries.

The African countries most affected by piracy, including

Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea,

Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, and

Togo sent their ships to participate in scenarios aimed at en- hancing counter-piracy tactical expertise. That’s because all

West African countries have felt the economic impact of the pirate activity. For instance in Benin, trade through the main port of Cotonou has dropped by 70 percent in just the past year alone.

Formidable Opponents Involve Considerable Risk

Modern pirates now wear night-vision goggles, carry AK-

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