United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

The UNODC Regional Office in East Africa (ROEA)

Improving Security in Kenyan Prisons by enhancing the Relationships between Prisoners and Prison Staff  

ANTANANARIVO - On 27 February 2023, UNODC’s Global Maritime Crime Programme hosted the first leg of a week-long study tour to Madagascar and Seychelles, bringing together representatives of the Trilateral Planning Cell (TPC) member states: Tanzania, Mozambique, and South Africa. The Trilateral Planning Cell is a mechanism established by the governments of South Africa, Tanzania, and Mozambique with the support of UNODC, tasked with countering heroin trafficking through the Southern Route into East Africa.

Over the course of the tour, TPC member state participants visited for the first time the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC), based in Antananarivo, where they presented and received presentations and observed the day-to-day operations in the centre.The centre is staffed with local operators and international liaison officers from Reunion, Kenya, Djibouti, Comoros, Seychelles, Madagascar, and Mauritius. The centre provides a mechanism for sharing information and coordinating actions at sea and operates on a regional level to pursue maritime control and surveillance, allowing littoral states to play a prominent role in shaping the future of the Western Indian Ocean.

The goal of the study tour was to provide the TPC member state representatives with insight into the RMIFC mission, the different Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) technologies used, and the process by which illicit trafficking is detected and ultimately countered by MASE (Maritime Security) agreement member states. The ultimate aim was to provide representatives with the opportunity to explore future avenues of information sharing between the TPC member states and the MASE regional centres. UNODC encourages additional countries with an interest in regional maritime security to join the MASE agreement, and the study trip was intended to provide insights that could be useful to the TPC countries in considering that possibility.

“The visit was meaningful as we had the chance to learn how the RMIFC gathers, analyzes and disseminates information for quick actionable measures – commented Andrew Nsombo, Intelligence Officer for the Tanzania Drug Control and Enforcement Authority and representative for Tanzania within the TPC – It was great to meet colleagues with whom we could share relevant information on possible suspicious activities happening in our maritime domain.”

After Madagascar, the TPC country representatives continued their tour to the Regional Centre for Operational Coordination (RCOC) in Mahé, Seychelles. RMIFC and RCOC have been established under the MASE agreements as part of the EU MASE Programme, which aims to promote Maritime Security in Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Region.

In line with the 2050 African Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS 2050) of the African Union and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030 of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the study visit also aims at enhancing sub-regional and regional cooperation in maritime security, and interconnectivity among various actors by addressing both maritime challenges and creating a secure environment for coastal countries in Africa.

For more information, see the link below: Global Maritime Crime Programme (unodc.org)