South Africa Hosts Naval Drill with Russia, China, Iran
The operation, titled WILL FOR PEACE 2026, began on Jan. 9 and will conclude on Jan. 16, taking place within South Africa’s territorial waters.
According to the South African National Defense Force (SANDF), the drill is intended to enhance the security of shipping lanes, strengthen cooperation, and promote overall regional maritime stability. China is acting as the lead nation for the exercise.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), part of the National Unity government (GNU) led by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC), criticized the maneuver.
“Calling these drills ‘BRICS cooperation’ is a political trick to soften what is really happening, government is choosing closer military ties with rogue and sanctioned states such as Russia and Iran,” the DA said in a statement.
Deputy Defense Minister Bantu Holomisa told a local broadcaster on Friday that SANDF has long participated in similar joint naval exercises with other nations.
“It’s not the first time that they (SANDF) will be doing this exercise with friendly countries. Remember South Africa is now part of the BRICS and many countries have now joined BRICS,’’ he said.
BRICS, a coalition of emerging economies, originally comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, but has since expanded to include Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran.
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