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The Indian Navy is set to participate in a large-scale multilateral maritime engagement exercise with African nations, titled ‘Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement’ (AIKEYME). Meaning ‘Unity’ in Sanskrit, AIKEYME aims to enhance interoperability between the navies and maritime agencies of participating countries.
According to the Indian Navy, the maiden edition of this exercise is being co-hosted by the Indian Navy and the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF). The event will be conducted in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, and is scheduled to be inaugurated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in mid-April 2025.
The exercise will span six days and will feature participation from eight nations, including Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and South Africa, in addition to the co-hosts, India and Tanzania.
The Harbour Phase of the exercise will include Tabletop and Command Post exercises focused on piracy and information sharing, along with training sessions on seamanship and Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) operations.
The Sea Phase will feature seamanship evolutions, search and rescue (SAR) drills, VBSS exercises, small arms firing, and helicopter operations, officials added.
The Indian Navy emphasized the importance of maritime security for both India and Africa, reaffirming their commitment to combating security threats such as piracy, illegal trafficking, and unregulated and unreported fishing through enhanced information sharing and surveillance mechanisms.
Over the past decade, the Indian Navy has deepened partnerships with maritime agencies across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to bolster regional maritime security. This is in line with the Government of India’s (GoI) vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).
The Indian Navy has been actively collaborating with IOR navies through joint exercises, coordinated patrols, information sharing, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) efforts, capacity-building initiatives, and diplomatic engagements.
As SAGAR enters its second decade, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently announced the Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across the Region (MAHASAGAR) initiative during his visit to Mauritius in March 2025. In line with this, the Indian Navy is launching two new initiatives: ‘IOS Sagar’ and ‘AIKEYME’, aimed at consolidating India’s role as the ‘Preferred Security Partner’ and First Responder in the Indian Ocean Region.
The Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar initiative is another step toward enhanced cooperation with IOR nations. As part of this initiative, the Indian Naval Ship (INS Sunayna) will be deployed to the southwestern Indian Ocean Region with a combined crew of Indian and nine Friendly Foreign Countries (FFCs), namely Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and South Africa.
The ship will be deployed for over a month in April 2025, making port calls at Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), Nacala (Mozambique), Port Louis (Mauritius), Port Victoria (Seychelles), and Malé (Maldives). Additionally, joint surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius, and Seychelles will be conducted, officials stated.
The Navy further informed on Monday that personnel from FFCs would undergo a two-week training capsule at various naval professional schools in Kochi, including at-sea training sessions.
During this period, FFC personnel will be actively involved in whole-ship activities, watch-keeping duties, and operational exercises related to their respective trades. Additionally, participants of IOS Sagar are expected to witness the Harbour Phase activities of AIKEYME at Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
(IANS)