GULF OF GUINEA (May 12, 2024) Front port aerial view of the PHM Commandant Birot with the P202 Nzinga Mbandi of Angola and the patrol boats 5 February 1979 and Alternance Pacifique of the Democratic Republic of Congo in the Gulf of Guinea, May 12, 2024. From May 11 to 16, 2024, PHM Commander Birot participates in the major annual maritime security exercise Obangame Express 24 sponsored by the United States. In partnership with the Angolan coastal navies, the Congo navy and that of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The French navy supports African navies, shares its experience and trains with African navies in order to strengthen our mutual know-how. By sharing its expertise, its human and material resources, the French navy contributes to strengthening maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. The navy offers its assistance and expertise to its African partners, at their request. Under the aegis of the Yaounde maritime security architecture, countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea cooperate on maritime security. For them, it is a question of coordinating their maritime resources, pooling them and sharing information resources, while increasing their common skills through regular training. The Corymbe 24.03 mission aims to reduce insecurity and secure maritime routes in an area threatened by IUU fishing, banditry, piracy or drug trafficking. (Photo and caption courtesy of the French Navy)