India and African states to launch joint naval drills
The Indian Navy, in collaboration with ten African nations, will launch the inaugural Africa India Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME), a multilateral naval exercise aimed at strengthening maritime cooperation and security in the Indian Ocean Region, Tarun Sobti, India’s deputy chief of Naval Staff, told reporters in New Delhi on Monday.
AIKEYME (‘unity’ in Sanskrit) will be co-hosted by the Indian Navy and the Tanzania People’s Defense Force in April 2025 in Dar-es-Salam, Tanzania. Participating countries include Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, and Tanzania.
The drills will be conducted in two phases. The port phase will include command and staff exercises focused on counter-piracy operations, information sharing, and training in seamanship and vessel boarding.
The maritime phase will focus on navigation skills, search and rescue operations, handling small arms, and helicopter exercise coordination.
As part of the Indian Ocean Security and Growth for All (IOS Sagar) initiative, the Indian Navy will deploy INS Sunayna to the southwestern Indian Ocean Region. The vessel will have a combined crew from India and nine foreign countries, including Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. The deployment is planned to last over a month, commencing in April.
In October 2022, India held its first-ever trilateral naval exercise with Tanzania and Mozambique, focusing on asymmetric threats, boat and helicopter operations, casualty evacuation drills, firefighting, and visit board search and seizure drills.
Last June, the Russian guided missile cruiser Varyag and the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov visited the Egyptian port of Alexandria. Russian and Egyptian military forces carried out joint exercises. The drills focused on joint maneuvering techniques, testing communication systems, and enhancing technical cooperation.
