The Nation (Nairobi)

Somalia: Hijacked Arms - The Mystery Deepens

Dominic Wabala and Abdulsamad Ali

29 September 2008


Nairobi — Mystery deepened on Monday over the real ownership of the tanks and other arms hijacked by three boatloads of Somali pirates.

The Government insisted the battle tanks -- 33 T-72s -- rocket propelled grenades and 23 anti-aircraft guns plus ammunition, were destined for Kenya's military. But a US Navy spokesman stated categorically that the arms were heading to an unknown buyer in Sudan.

The spokesman, named as Lt Nathan Christensen, of the US Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain was quoted by the Associated Press as saying: "We are aware that the actual cargo was destined for Sudan not Kenya."

However, Kenya's defence spokesman Bogita Ongeri dismissed the claim, saying, "It is the property of the Government of Kenya and we have documentation to that effect."

And on Monday night the Government released two documents, a bill of lading and a letter from the Ukranian exporter.

The bill of lading shows the consignee as the Ministry of Defence and the owner is Waterlux AG.

The cargo is shown as 33 T-72 tanks weighing 1.353 million kilogrammes, and another lot of 73 packed cargo containing T-72 tanks spare parts weighing 11,900 kilogrammes.

The letter from the State Self-Supporting Foreign Trade and Investment Firm Ukrinmash is signed by a director D. A. Peregudov informing the Kenyan government that the ship was seized on September 25, 2008.

And in a further puzzling twist, a piracy expert in Mombasa was gagged by the Coast PC.

Mr Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the Seafarers Assistance Programme, said on Monday that he was called by Coast PC Ernest Munyi and ordered not to give any information on the vessel to the media.

The pirates on Saturday claimed they had damning evidence to show that Kenya was not the end user of the military hardware aboard the hijacked ship and was, therefore, in breach of a United Nations arms embargo.

The Kenya Government spokesman, Dr Alfred Mutua on his website, however insisted that the pirates were terrorists bent on diverting attention.

"There have been alarming propaganda by the pirates to the media that the weapons are not for the Kenyan military. This is a tactic by the terrorists to try and fend off reprisals against them.

"The Kenyan government will not engage in answering back to terrorists who have hijacked important military equipment paid for by the Kenyan tax payer for use by the Kenyan military," Dr Mutua said.

Military sources, privy to the Kenyan defence policy and priority, however, insisted that the country has not sent any military personnel to Ukraine or Russia to be trained on operating the tanks or the ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns.

Sources within the military also cast doubt on the possibility of the cargo being Kenya's, arguing that the DoD procedures for acquiring military hardware had not been followed.

"Normally a sample accompanied by the seller is brought in for testing and a Kenyan military team is later sent to the producer country for training on maintenance before any decision is made. There has been no such arrangement between the Department of Defence and the Ukrainian government," the source said.

Sources added most DoD personnel only got the information about the military hardware supposedly intended for them when the story broke on Friday.

On Monday, Mr Mwangura claimed he was told the hijacking was a Government issue and the fact that he was not the official spokesman disqualified him from speaking to the Press.

Mr Mwangura had the previous day claimed the Ukrainian vessel cargo was destined for Southern Sudan, despite a UN arms embargo.

Shipment

He said the shipment to the country through Kenya was not the first one but the fourth since last year.

However, Mr Munyi denied speaking to Mr Mwangura. "I have not spoken to him and if you insist tell him to prove that I spoke to him," said Mr Munyi when contacted.

Mr Mwangura had also asked why the Kenyan government was silent about a vessel carrying 17,000 tonnes of salt to Mombasa that was also allegedly hijacked on the same day as the Ukranian vessel.

"The vessel was suspicious because Kenya does not import salt," Mr Mwangura said.

In the mid 1990s, the Kenya police was forced to retain Ukrainian technicians in the country for over three years to maintain four M-17 helicopters and train pilots because they lacked technical know-how.

The sources further said DoD has been using British made Vicar tanks and another recently acquired Indian-made model.

Kenyan tank battalion officers have been trained in Britain and Kenya while another team is currently undergoing training in India on how to use the newly acquired tanks.

Meanwhile, Kenyan paramilitary officers are scheduled to be flown to the area where the hijacked Ukrainian ship is anchored for a reconnaissance operation.

The Ukrainian ship, mv Faina was seized by Somali pirates who are demanding ransom before releasing the ship and its cargo and the crew.

Read comments. Write your own.

More News on allAfrica.com

Copyright © 2008 The Nation. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.

AllAfrica - All the Time
Author: euroatlantica
Mon Feb 23 13:38:46 2009

The Kenyan military is not ordered the Ukrainian arms The government and the armed forces of Kenya suddenly made resonant statement, reported the Euro-Atlantic cooperation, that the military cargo seized by pirates «Faina» is not intended for their country.

The U.S. has already demanded a formal explanation of Kiev, in whose hands really should have hit the Ukrainian weapons. Why Kenyan leadership has otkrestilos of our tanks, was whether the seizure «Faina» accident and that will tell about this «Ukrspetsexport»?

Rumors that the Ukrainian side to a dry cargo ship «Faina» in the military port of Nikolayev «Oktyabrsky» tanks were loaded with old-fashioned, have not been confirmed. The exception is unless the testimony of one of the pirates, who in a telephone conversation confirmed that the technology really is not new. However, Adviser to the Government of Kenya Alfred Mutua clarified the situation. According to him, preparing a response to a request from the U.S. State Department, Kenyan leadership «previously had a few things clarified about the cargo« Faina », identifying a number of unknown points on the modalities for the implementation of this ill-fated deal». In particular, Mr. Mutua said, that in the «Faina» officially been loaded 33 refurbished T-72M1 and T-72M1K (ie not the old iron, and adapted for the modern battlefield vehicles. - Notes. Avt.). In addition, the vessel is listed more than 1000 tons of small arms, 150 grenade launchers «RPG-7», six anti-aircraft installations «ZU-23», the six systems of salvo fire «City», air defense system Missile-launchers, missiles, ammunition and other weapons. Alfred Mutua explained that previously the Government of Kenya has agreed to accept Ukraine goods that weapons do not fall into the hands of pirates (alternative transit point. - Notes. Avt.). But the leadership of the Kenyan Department of Defense has recommended the Government to immediately abandon this затеи, referring to the fact that «Kenya is unacceptable for such a delivery, because the country does not yet have a procedure for import of arms from Ukraine». Moreover, the defense department of Kenya said that the military never conducted training exercises with the use of Soviet tanks and other weapons, which is on the board «Faina». «These are the weapons in its characteristics incompatible with the technique, which is in the arsenals of Kenya», - quoted the Department of Defense to address the Government of Kenya, Alfred Mutua. «Without a doubt, become apparent that this is the Ukrainian arms are intended for transmission of the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement and Army (Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement and Army. - Notes. Avt.), As has already been proven a fact confirmed by video that the three deliveries of the types of tanks and other weaponry Southern Sudan, which had been made earlier, should have been done and now », - summed up the Kenyan government adviser. Thus, the leadership of Kenya actually otkrestilos of his previous statements and positions of official Kiev, that the goods «Faina» was their country.

In that Ukrainian weapons actually was intended for the People's Liberation Movement, no doubt, and the current government of Southern Sudan in the face of the official in Khartoum. This same view is shared by President P. Kagame of Rwanda. In his view, if «Faina» was to deliver tanks to Kenya, its armed forces would provide reliable protection vessel in the approach to its own territorial waters and did not allow pirates seize ship with so important for the Kenyan armed forces of the load. «In this case, the conduct of military Kenya if not adequate, it is very suspicious. After all, they did not once proved to be brave and experienced soldiers during peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone, Yugoslavia, Eritrea, Darfur, Chad, Congo. Where did he go to the combat experience in the case of a Ukrainian vessel «Faina»? »- Asked the President of Rwanda. In turn, the belief that Ukraine intends to sell weapons of Southern Sudan, officially announced and adviser 5 th Nathan Christensen U.S. Navy. His statement was strongly perepoloshilo Washington, with the result that U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for African Zhenday Fraser demanded that Ukraine and Kenya, official information about the real addressees of military cargo «Faina».

However, in view of recent statements, the attitude of the Kenyan military leadership has become in the end is known. It not only ordered the Ukrainian weapons for themselves, but even opposed to the tanks came to the country.If so, you can make a guess who gave the «laying» Somali pirates in our bulk carrier. It is now left to wait a bit to see what this time the defenses put forward by the leaders of the DPP «Ukrspetsexport», the General Directorate MAIs Intelligence, Foreign Intelligence Service and Counterintelligence Security Service. Rostyslav DEMCHUK Agency For Euro-Atlantic Cooperation(AEAC)

Author: euroatlantica
Thu Feb 26 11:34:12 2009

Rostyslav Demchuk 2009.02.24

Source: Agency AEAC based on international press ABC lessen for the Chief Ukrainian intelligence N. Malomuzh and the Chief of military intelligence of Ukraine V. Gvozd

Adamant approval of representatives of the Ukrainian security services that carried dry cargo "Faina" weapons intended for Kenya and not in a third country inforsed us to educate the Ukrainian special forces, and to prove the chief of foreign intelligence officers masters N. Malomuzh and chief Military Intelligence of MOD B. Gvozd that deceive the Ukrainian people they will belive to it would be not succeed. And if they sincerely believe that the weapons located at the "Faina", delivered in Kenya and not in a third country, and was not smuggling, it will hold special services for our small campaign against illiteracy.

First of all talk about U.S. financial aid program for Kenya, procurement of American weapons, which is called the Foreign Military Financing (FMF). We will start with historical background about the arms of Kenya. In addition we wil underline the iportence of the port of Mombassa. Kenya was a good springboard for the control of oil regions of Sudan to the south-eastern direction. Through the financial assistance program for the purchase of American allies weapons Foreign Military Financing (FMF) Pentagon supplied armored vehicles, combat and transport aircraft and helicopters, patrol boats, a variety of small arms and ammunition. Despite the reduction in military aid since the end of the cold war, Kenya has been able to continue to scale by the standards of the countries of Central Africa, the purchase of American weapons in the program of Foreign Military Financing ( FMF). Thus, unlike the neighbors, it relies on the new western designs, rather than the surplus military equipment of Soviet-made from the former Warsaw Pact. But, gentlemen Malomuzh and Gvozd, you should know a very important and interesting fact, that one of the key points of Foreign Military Financing (FMF) is a ban on Kenya's arms purchases from other countries without special permission from the U.S. This item has strictly carried out by Kenya. Every time an official Nairobi to purchase weapons for the U.S. turned to the necessary permissions, such as when buying from Jordan supported by 15 F-5 fighter aircraft, two aircraft from South African and Spanish reconnaissance patrol cars. Note one more important detail that the information on plans to purchase weapons is completely open and print the press releases the Government of Kenya, and is published in official publications. Indeed, for the purchase of weapons used by some budget money, but also credits from the United States.

In the case of the "Faina" information on request for Nairobi on the purchase of Ukrainian weapons in the documents of the Government of Kenya has not been, that gives an absolute assurance that that Kenya and not going to buy anything from Ukraine itself. In addition, the unexpected death of master willy-nilly forced to think - he was the only person in the crew, who could know, even a particle of truth about the true consignee.

But even if we do not take into account the existence of Foreign Military Financing FMF, then the actual content of the load points at its absolute needlessness Kenya. At «Faina» were 33 T-72 tank, shet missile launchers "Grad", grenade launchers, anti-aircraft guns and ammunition. Tanks and American-made anti-aircraft complexes, the Supreme Council of Kenya, more than enough to maintain it, and large-scale hostilities (dramatically adding to this arsenal), apparently none is going. Moreover, it would be a full slate, with spare parts and ammunition for many years to come to some types of weapons, move to the other. For all its neighbors - Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Sudan in Nairobi, there is no territorial or other disputes, the slightest threat to their side has never been. And to quell the internal strife of upgraded T-72, set the volley of fire "Grad", grenade launchers and anti-aircraft complexes is clearly not needed. Do you agree with that, gentlemen Malomuzh Nicholas and Victor Gvozd and other mangers of Ukrainian intelligence services?

Rostyslav Demchuk

Agency For Euro-Atlanic Cooperation(AEAC)


SELECT
SELECT

Most Active Stories: Somalia

Topics