• India and nine African nations kick-started a six-day mega naval exercise — Africa India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) — off Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania.

• The inaugural edition of the multilateral exercise is being held from April 13 to 18.

• The co-hosts of the maiden ‘AIKEYME’ exercise are the Indian Navy and the Tanzania Peoples Defence Force.

• Comoros, Djibouti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa are participating in the exercise alongside India and Tanzania.

• ‘AIKEYME’ means ‘unity’ in Sanskrit.

• The exercise aims to develop collaborative solutions to common regional maritime challenges.

• The harbour phase of the exercise would include table-top and command-post exercises on piracy and information sharing, along with training on seamanship.

• The sea phase comprises seamanship evolutions, search and rescue, visit board search and seizure, small-arms firing and helicopter operations.

• The India-initiated exercise is taking place under the broad framework of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new vision called MAHASAGAR or ‘Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions’ for engagement with the Global South.

• India and Africa have been cooperating in tackling maritime security threats such as piracy, illegal activities including trafficking, and unregulated and unreported fishing, through sharing of information and surveillance.

• The AIKEYME exercise is likely to significantly expand the ongoing cooperation.

• This maiden initiative by the Indian Navy seeks to enhance interoperability and synergise combined operations among the maritime forces of partner nations. It also highlights the strong and friendly relations between India and the African nations.

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