Catherine Sasman
22 April 2008
Windhoek — The Legal Assistance Centre (LAC) yesterday called on all Namibians to raise their voices in protest against the docking of the Chinese ship, An Jue Jiang, at a Namibian harbour.
The ship is carrying arms bound for Zimbabwe, including three million rounds of ammunition and desperately trying to find a way to deliver the cargo to that country.
After the International Action Network on Small Arms, IANSA, a global movement against gun violence, won a court order in South Africa to prevent the consignment of arms on the ship from docking in Durban, appeals have gone out to SADC countries, especially Angola, Mozambique and Namibia, to prevent the ship from docking at their harbours.
The South African law indicates that permits to convey arms across South African land must be cancelled, amended or suspended if it is in the interest of maintaining or promoting international peace or avoiding repression.
South African trade unionists have also announced a boycott of the shipment.
"South Africa has a chance to show the world that arms atrocities can be stopped by responsible governments," said IANSA Africa Coordinator, Joseph Dube, adding that South Africa should detain the weaponry until Zimbabwe "can prove they will not be misused".
"Only this will guarantee they will not be used to suppress the Zimbabwean people," Dube said.
IANSA speculated that the ship could arrive at Walvis Bay or that it was en route to Luanda, Angola.
Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Isak Hamata, however, said Namibia has not been approached with a request to either dock or re-fuel the ship in Namibian waters.
He said there was also a campaign launched in Angola by transport bodies of the region not to allow the ship to dock at Luanda.
Dube reminded other southern African countries - including Namibia and Mozambique - that they have ratified the Southern African Development Community 2004 Firearms Protocol, which asserts that States should harmonise their arms control laws to prevent conflict in the region and destabilising accumulations of arms.
"Our concern is that Zimbabwe is a nation that has been in an escalating state of crisis," said LAC Director, Norman Tjombe.
"To allow more weapons to enter Zimbabwe will only fuel more violence, with the serious consequences of more deaths and suffering."
The LAC said Namibia and its institutions, such as the Namibia Ports Authority (NamPort), has obligations under national and international law to foster international peace and the peaceful resolution of disputes, and hence the responsibility and accountability in the regulation and control of the trade in conventional arms.
It said it would be prudent for NamPort not to allow the cargo on the Chinese vessel to enter Namibia.
Zhang Jun, Second Secretary in the Economic and Commercial Counsellor's Office at the Chinese Embassy in Windhoek, and doubtful of the shipment, said China is not allowed to trade in nuclear weapons as aid with other countries. He also added that China would not interfere in other countries' internal military affairs.
"China is not allowed to interfere in internal military affairs," insisted Jun.
IANSA has started a global e-mail-based petition: "Stop the Zimbabwe Arms Ship NOW", in which it aims for 1000000 signatories in 24 hours, which will be delivered to the Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), President Levy Mwanawasa of Zambia.
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Oh! News of these actions to prevent delivery of arms to Zimbabwe does my heart SO much good! Interesting(but unsurprising) that we have heard nothing of it in the mainstream media here in the US! Thanks to all Africans who continue to press for peace & prosperity for all Africa. Aja Chicago
All SADC countries have ratified a Fire Arms Protocol of 2004, which asserts that states should harmonise their firearms control law to prevent the conflict in the region and destabilizing accumulation of it.Namibia as part of SADC is responsible and accountible to see that this consigment does not go through the borders of Namibia.We all fought for the land right and also for the human rights and the current situation in Zimbabwe does not convince any person with logic that there is not a crisis.We must not forget that we are all Africans,including those in ruling party ZANU-PF and MTC… [Read Full Text]