مهدی مؤمنی

From ancient times, piracy has been known as an enemy of humanity and an international crime. One of the areas that has become the main center of piracy in recent years is the Gulf of Guinea . Due to the discovery and exploitation of rich oil resources, and the high traffic of oil tanker ships and other fishing and cargo ships, this area has been considered by pirates and has made maritime security confronted with a serious threat. According to statistics, between 2009 and 2021, about 265 cases of pirate attacks on ships have been reported in this region, which is regarded as the highest figure in the whole. The main question is, what are the effective causes of the creation and expansion of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea? And what solutions are there to confront this phenomenon? In response to this question, the hypothesis is that regional differences and the political, economic and social situations of the coastal states are the most important reasons in the spread of piracy in this region, and regional and extra-regional measures to confront it are inevitable. But the weakness of the countries in the region in securing the sea fleet, widespread unemployment, conflicts between countries in delimiting the borders of the sea, have made it difficult to fight against piracy in this region. The findings of this research show that identifying and eliminating the various factors involved in the occurrence of this crime depends on efforts beyond diplomatic cooperation. The lack of similarity between criminal measures and especially the obvious difference in the political conditions of the countries of the region compared to other regions facing the phenomenon of piracy, such as the case of the Gulf of Aden, makes it impossible to apply a similar solution to the Gulf of Guinea.