International Conference

“Africa and the Sea in the XXI century: A comparative perspective on trends and
challenges in the Mediterranean Sea, Indian and Atlantic Oceans’’

ISCTE/IUL, Auditório Afonso de Barros, 27th-28th May 2010

The maritime arena is, exceptionally, transnational in scope. International relations

between African coastal and non-coastal states and the rest of the world through
the maritime realm are at the crossroad of dynamics and tensions between the
domestic, regional, continental and global political arenas. Extra-regional, as well as
regional actors intervening in African maritime spaces have multiple, and more
often than not, contradictory aims. Both the regular and irregular movements (of
people and goods) through African maritime spaces highlight the vital importance of
maritime security-related questions in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Indian and
Atlantic Oceans.

In the context of maritime security at the continental level piracy-related issues and
illicit traffic networks are of particular concern.

In the context of maritime security in Africa, the understanding of the threats and
challenges requires a multi-dimensional approach, as well as an understanding of
the socio-economic, political and cultural implications.

With regard to maritime transport, according to the estimates, 90 per cent of the
total volume of international trade from and to Africa follows a sea route.

Conflicts and natural disasters in a state’s domestic political arena have

ramifications in the regional, continental and global political arenas, namely with
regard to the generation of refugees that, more often than not, end up as irregular
migrants who attempt the sea route(s) out of Africa.

This Conference is based on the assumption that domestic threats and the
challenges at the state-level require a regional approach to maritime security.

AIMS, TOPICS AND QUESTIONS

The Conference aims to provide a critical analysis of maritime security-related

trends and challenges in Africa’s regions in order to identify similarities and
differences with regard to: threats; challenges; forms and mechanisms put in place
to address these challenges and threats; the conduct and aims of both regional and
extra-regional actors (encompassing state and non-state actors) and, finally, the
juridical perspective(s) on maritime security-related questions.

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The Conference is structured around the following regions and/or maritime spaces:
Somalia/Gulf of Aden; Gulf of Guinea; The Community of Portuguese speaking
countries’ (CPLP) member-states maritime spaces and, finally, the Mediterranean
Sea. The main threats and challenges identified justify the selection of these sub-
regions. The Conference’s organisers particularly welcome papers’ proposals that
focus on the following questions and aims:

– To what extent is the escalation of piracy attacks related to the crisis of the
state and to the recurrence of conflicts in Africa?
– What is the role and the aims of the various actors intervening in African
maritime spaces? To what extent is the illegitimate appropriation of
resources related with political or other aims?
– To what extent is the control of irregular flows of migrants from Africa
contributing to the securitization of a phenomenon with a multitude of
causes? Which are the implications with regard to the tension between
international order and a more just international society in face of human
rights’ abuses, natural disasters and conflicts?
– Identify and provide an analysis of the forms and mechanisms put in place in
order to address maritime security-related threats and challenges within the
regional and continental political arenas.

Panels

Opening Session: José Rodrigues dos Santos (Portuguese Military Academy)

Panel 1: Piracy in the Gulf of Aden/Horn of Africa (Somalia): the maritime

dimension of Somalia’s state disintegration and widening crisis; Chair: Manuel
João Ramos (CEA/ISCTE-IUL)

Panel 2: Natural resources and maritime security challenges in the Gulf of

Guinea; Chair: Gerhard Seibert (CEA/ISCTE-IUL)

Panel 3: CPLP’s member-states and maritime security in their respective

geographic spaces; Chair: Carlos Martins Branco (ISCTE-IUL)

Panel 4: Maritime security and human rights: Natural Disasters, Conflicts and
Irregular Migrations from Africa; Chair: Ulrich Schiefer (CEA/ISCTE-IUL)

Round-Table and Debate: Screening of the documentary about Migrations

‘’Come un uomo sulla terra’’; Chair: Isabel Boavida

Closing Session: João Gomes Porto (Bradford University)

Organising Committee:

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Luís Bernardino (ISCSP); Isabel Boavida (BCEA); Major-General Carlos Martins
Branco; Prof. Fernando Jorge Cardoso (IEEI); Alexandra Magnólia Dias (CEA/ISCTE-
IUL); Vice-Admiral Macieira Fragoso (Director IESM); Prof. Pedro Aires de Oliveira
(IPRI-UNL); Prof. João Gomes Porto (Bradford University); Prof. Manuel João Ramos
(CEA/ISCTE-IUL); Prof. José Rodrigues dos Santos (Academia Militar).

Pre-registration:

Pre-registration is open until 25 May 2010 via international debit or cheque made
payable to CEA/ISCTE-IUL. The registration fee is 20 Euros. Registration will be
confirmed as soon as the receipt of the payment is made available to CEA/ISCTE-
IUL.

REGISTRATION FEE:

Students: 10 Euros

All other Participants: 20 Euros

METHODS OF PAYMENT:

*International Bank transfer :

Banco Espírito Santo, Agência Campo Grande

Centro de Estudos Africanos

International Bank transfer : IBAN – PT50 0007 0014 0025 0140 0043 1; Code
swift: BESCPTPL

* Cheque made payable to Centro de Estudos Africanos and/or sent to our postal
address:

Centro de Estudos Africanos (CEA)

ISCTE-IUL

Avenida das Forças Armadas

1649-026 Lisboa – Portugal

In order to confirm registration please send the receipt to:

africaeomar.secxxi@gmail.com

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For further details please contact Alexandra M. Dias or cea@iscte.pt

For further information on maritime security-related issues in Africa refer to:

http://conflicts-in-africa.iscte.pt

Publication

In the aftermath of the Conference the Portuguese Journal ‘’International Relations’’,

of the Portuguese Institute for International Relations-UNL, will publish a special
issue with a selection of the Conference’s papers.
(http://www.ipri.pt/publicacoes/publicacoes.php).