Combating maritime piracy

Operations Alcyon and Atalanta

Acts of piracy are becoming increasingly common in the Horn of Africa, a region troubled by considerable trafficking activities. These activities occur off the coast of Somalia and are the work of pirates who are becoming more and more determined and venturing ever farther from the coasts. Operation Atalanta is a large-scale anti-piracy operation set up by the EU in 2008 under the French Presidency of the European Union. It deploys a multinational naval force in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin, including French Navy ships. The force consists of some thirty warships from 20 nations. Operation Atalanta provides protection for nearly 80% of commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden.

France was previously involved in escort missions for ships chartered by the World Food Programme (WFP) between Mombasa, in Kenya, and Merka, in Somalia. This was known as Operation Alcyon. The operation was then taken over by Europe's Operation Atalanta, which was the first maritime operation carried out as part of European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).

France played a pioneering role in the decision to escort civilian vessels in the Gulf of Aden, in securing a firm mandate from the UN Security Council to combat piracy, and in the decision to launch the first operation of the European Union's Operation Atalanta.

Midway between military operations and police actions, efforts to combat piracy are carried out as part of "security operations" and call for a suitable legal framework. They also require closer collaboration between the Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Justice.

Find out more on the Chief of the Defence Staff's website