Joint training exercise of the Royal Navy and the Cape Verdian Coastguard

Cape Verde is a small country consisting of a number of islands off the west coast of Africa.  It has a fast-growing tourist sector that is benefiting the economy and thus the people of Cape Verde.  It has recently graduated from the group of countries formally classified by the UN as Least Developed Countries.  But its geography and location make it vulnerable to climate change and to exploitation by international trafficking groups.

The Government of Cape Verde is working to improve the way it patrols and protects its extensive coastlines and waters to prevent drug and people traffickers using the islands as a transit point.  So, to help share the UK’s own expertise in this area, the Royal Navy undertook a joint training exercise with the Cape Verdian Coastguard and law enforcement authorities.

The exercise consisted of the simulated tracking and interception of a suspect boat leading to law enforcement authorities boarding the boat to arrest the suspects.  Representatives of 6 countries were involved (US, UK, CV, France, Portugal and Spain).

British Ambassador to Cape Verde, Christopher Trott, said "This is an excellent example of multilateral cooperation in the fight against international crime. It is important for countries like us to find ways to offer concrete support to our partners in Cape Verde. We hope this will lead to much closer cooperation in law enforcement."