South Africa Describes BRICS Naval Drills as “Essential”
The ‘Will for Peace 2026’ maneuvers commenced off Cape Town’s coast on Saturday, only days after US forces intercepted a Russian-flagged oil tanker, alleging it had violated Washington’s sanctions against Venezuela.
The US has also recently detained five additional tankers in the Caribbean as part of its naval blockade targeting the Latin American state.
Deputy Defense Minister Bantu Holomisa clarified on Friday that the drills were not a reaction to Washington’s latest actions, stressing that they had been scheduled months earlier.
“Let us not press panic buttons because the US has got a problem with countries. Those are not our enemies,” he remarked.
Holomisa emphasized that the priority should be “on cooperating with the BRICS countries and making sure that our seas, especially the Indian Ocean and Atlantic, they are safe.”
Reports indicate that South Africa, China, and Iran have dispatched destroyers for the ‘Will for Peace 2026’ exercises, while Russia and the United Arab Emirates are represented by corvettes. Other BRICS members – Brazil, Indonesia, and Ethiopia – have sent observers. The drills are set to conclude on January 16.
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