The future exercise ‘Aikeyme’ will bring together 10 African countries for their inaugural large-scale maritime operation under Indian leadership. India operates this initiative as a strategic African policy along with regional counter-chinese influence efforts. The Indian Navy continuously monitors security threats which include violent actions from Somali pirates and Houthi rebels operating within the Indian Ocean.
Key Details of Exercise ‘Aikeyme’
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Location: Off Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
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Dates: April 13-18, 2025
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Participants: India, Tanzania (co-host), Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and South Africa
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Inauguration: By Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
Focus Areas:
The maritime force will practice Visit Board Search and Seizure operations they need to conduct during VBSS drills.
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Arms firings
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Helicopter operations
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Seamanship evolutions
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Search and rescue missions
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Anti-piracy operations
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Information-sharing and command post exercises
Strategic Importance
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The collaboration enhances maritime security agreements between India and several African countries.
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India confirms its role as the security leader and emergency response force for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
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The exercise plans to repeat every two years yet West African nations will participate in upcoming editions.
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The exercise promotes implementation of the ‘SAGAR’ vision (Security and Growth for All in the Region) as well as the ‘Mahasagar’ initiative (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security Across the Regions).
Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar Initiative
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Two naval initiatives became operational at the same time with ‘IOS Sagar’ joining ‘Aikeyme’ as Indian Navy programs.
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Deployment: April 5 – May 8, 2025
Warship: INS Sunayna
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The engagement will unite ship and air elements of Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Seychelles and South Africa.
Activities:
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Joint surveillance of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius, and Seychelles
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The naval forces will visit the shipping ports of Dar-es-Salaam, Nacala, Port Louis, Port Victoria and Male.
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The training program received 44 military personnel from various nations who came to Kochi for education.
Maritime Security Collaboration
Security forces in India together with their African partner nations understand maritime security’s value and intend to strengthen their collaboration against maritime threats including:
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Piracy
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Drug smuggling
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Human trafficking
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Illegal maritime activities
Conclusion
India takes meaningful strides to enhance naval bilateral agreements with African states through the ‘Aikeyme’ exercises and the ‘IOS Sagar’ program. These maritime initiatives both strengthen India’s security at sea along with enhancing defense alliances with primary countries operating in the Indian Ocean region.
