South Africa defends BRICS naval drills as ‘essential’ amid tensions

South African authoritative says drills with Russia, Iran, China and others cardinal to protecting ‘maritime economical activities’.

South Africa has defended weeklong naval drills with Russia, Iran, China and different countries arsenic “essential”, describing the manoeuvres disconnected its seashore arsenic a captious effect to rising maritime tensions globally.

The “Will for Peace 2026” exercises that began connected Saturday disconnected the seashore of Cape Town travel conscionable days aft the United States seized a Venezuela-linked Russian lipid tanker successful the North Atlantic, saying it had violated Western sanctions.

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The seizure, portion of a continued US unit run against Venezuela, followed US attacks connected the South American state and the abduction of its president, Nicolas Maduro.

The naval exercises besides travel astatine a clip of heightened tensions betwixt US President Donald Trump’s medication and respective BRICS Plus countries, including China, Iran, South Africa and Brazil.

Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, South Africa’s associated task unit commander, told the opening ceremonial connected Saturday that the drills were much than a subject workout and a connection of intent among the BRICS radical of nations.

“It is simply a objection of our corporate resoluteness to enactment together,” Thamaha said. “In an progressively analyzable maritime environment, practice specified arsenic this is not an option, it is essential.”

The exercises besides aimed to “ensure the information of shipping lanes and maritime economical activities”, helium added.

Expanding bloc

BRICS, primitively made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded to see Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.

Lieutenant Colonel Mpho Mathebula, acting spokesperson for associated operations, told the Reuters quality bureau that each subordinate states had been invited to this week’s naval exercises.

China and Iran deployed destroyer warships to South Africa, portion Russia and the United Arab Emirates sent corvette vessels and South Africa dispatched a frigate. Indonesia, Ethiopia and Brazil person joined arsenic observers.

Asked astir the timing of the event, South Africa’s Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa said connected Friday that the drills were planned agelong earlier the existent spike successful planetary tensions.

“Let america not property panic buttons due to the fact that the USA has got a occupation with countries. Those are not our enemies,” Holomisa said.

“Let’s absorption connected cooperating with the BRICS countries and marque definite that our seas, particularly the Indian Ocean and Atlantic, they are safe,” helium said.

Previously known arsenic Exercise Mosi, the drills were initially scheduled for November but postponed owed to a clash with the G20 acme successful Johannesburg, which was boycotted by the Trump administration.

Washington has accused the BRICS bloc of “anti‑American” policies and warned that its members could look an further 10-percent tariff connected apical of existing duties already applied worldwide.

South Africa has besides drawn US disapproval for its adjacent ties with Russia and a scope of different policies.

That includes the South African government’s determination to bring a case against apical US state Israel to the International Court of Justice, accusing the Israeli authorities of committing genocide against Palestinians successful the Gaza Strip.

South Africa besides drew disapproval for hosting naval drills with Russia and China successful 2023, coinciding with the archetypal day of Moscow’s penetration of Ukraine.

The 3 nations archetypal conducted associated naval drills successful 2019.