Seven armed pirates attacked and boarded a cargo ship sailing from Cameroon to the Democratic Republic of Congo on May 29. While most of the crew locked themselves in the citadel, one crew member was injured and abducted by the hijackers during the attack. It is not clear whether the kidnap victim was released.

The hijacking between Nigeria and São Tomé and Príncipe was one of 12 piracy incidents reported in the Gulf of Guinea region in the first half of this year. There were 18 such incidents last year. The uptick coincides with an increase of kidnappings for ransom at sea. Effective counterpiracy measures in the Bight of Biafra, which stretches from the Niger River in Nigeria to Cape Lopez in Gabon, forced pirates to change tactics. Pirates typically strike in coastal areas with high un

See Full Page