India will launch AIKEYME (Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement), its first major naval exercise with African nations, in mid-April 2025. The exercise will be co-hosted by the Indian Navy and the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) off Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Key Details of AIKEYME 2025:
- Duration: 6 days
- Participating Nations:
- India, Tanzania, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, and South Africa.
- Primary Focus:
- Anti-piracy operations
- Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) drills
- Search and Rescue (SAR) missions
- Enhanced information-sharing
- The initiative aims to be a biennial event, strengthening Indo-African maritime security cooperation.
Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar Initiative
- India will also launch IOS Sagar, a unique program where a joint crew of Indian sailors and 44 personnel from nine African nations.
- It will operate the offshore patrol vessel INS Sunayna from April 15 to May 8, 2025 in the southwestern Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
(Source: The Print)
