Operation ANOUANZÉ 3 was launched in Freetown, Sierra Leone, by the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) Zone F on Monday, 25 August 2025, under the leadership of the ECOWAS Regional Security Division, who provided the necessary coordination for this operation.

The launch ceremony was attended by representatives of ECOWAS and the Chief of Naval Staff of Sierra Leone, Commodore Lawrence K. Jabati and the Commandant of the Western Naval Command (Sierra Leone), Captain (Navy) A.K. Dumbuya.

This operation, which consists of joint maritime patrols in Zone F (Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia Coast Guard, Sierra Leone) in coordination with the West Africa Regional Maritime Security Centre (CRESMAO) CRESMAO, runs from 25 to 28 August 2025 with the technical support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) through the Safe Seas for Africa project (funded by the EU).

Operation ANOUANZÉ 3 is part of the implementation of ECOWAS’ integrated maritime security strategy, which aims to promote regional cooperation and strengthen the capacity of member states to combat maritime threats.