Not a BRICS Exercise, Says MEA on Cape Town Naval Drills

New Delhi/Cape Town: India on Saturday clarified that the recently concluded naval exercise held in Cape Town was not a BRICS activity, but a South African initiative in which only some BRICS members participated.

Responding to media queries on India’s non-participation in ‘Exercise WILL FOR PEACE 2026’, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the exercise was neither regular nor institutionalised under the BRICS framework, and did not include all BRICS countries.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “We clarify that the exercise in question was entirely a South African initiative in which some BRICS members took part. It was not a regular or institutionalised BRICS activity, nor did all BRICS members participate.”

He added that India has not taken part in similar activities in the past. “The regular maritime exercise India participates in, in this context, is IBSAMAR, which brings together the navies of India, Brazil and South Africa. The most recent edition of IBSAMAR was held in October 2024,” Jaiswal said.

According to South Africa’s defence ministry, the China-led, multinational and inter-agency naval exercise was conducted in South African waters from January 9 to 16.

In a statement issued on December 30, the South African government said ‘Exercise WILL FOR PEACE 2026’ involved navies from BRICS Plus countries and focused on joint maritime safety operations, interoperability drills and maritime protection exercises. The agreed theme was “Joint Actions to Ensure the Safety of Shipping and Maritime Economic Activities”.

The Chinese Defence Ministry said the PLA Navy’s guided-missile destroyer *Tangshan* and supply ship *Taihu* participated alongside Russia’s corvette *Stoikiy* and South Africa’s frigate *Amatola*. The drills included formation manoeuvres, maritime strike operations, rescue of hijacked vessels, joint search and rescue, communications, anchorage defence and air defence exercises.

— IANS