Operation ANOUANZÉ 3 began in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on August 25, 2025. The initiative is led by the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) Zone F and coordinated by the ECOWAS Regional Security Division.
The launch event was attended by representatives from ECOWAS, Commodore Lawrence K. Jabati, Chief of Naval Staff of Sierra Leone, and Captain (Navy) A.K. Dumbuya, Commandant of the Western Naval Command (Sierra Leone).
The operation involves joint maritime patrols across Zone F, which includes Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia Coast Guard, and Sierra Leone. These efforts are carried out in collaboration with the West Africa Regional Maritime Security Centre (CRESMAO). Technical support is provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) through its Safe Seas for Africa project funded by the European Union.
Operation ANOUANZÉ 3 will run from August 25 to August 28, 2025. It forms part of ECOWAS’ integrated maritime security strategy aimed at promoting regional cooperation and strengthening member states’ ability to address maritime threats.
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