L. Muthoni Wanyeki
5 October 2008
column
The seizure of a ship bearing a consignment of military hardware from the Ukraine by the Somali pirates is proving to be a mystery wrapped in an enigma.
The government of Kenya declares the consignment was for us. The American government and the pirates insist the consignment was intended for Southern Sudan.
If the consignment was indeed for us, it is clear that more transparency is needed on the vote from the consolidated budget for the Ministry of Defence.
And the Parliamentary Committee on Defence needs to be able to exercise more oversight on what purchases are made with taxpayers' money on behalf of the security of Kenyan citizens.
Frankly, the proposition that all those tanks are needed to assure national security is as alarming as it is preposterous. For the threats to our security experienced at the start of this year are not of the sort that call for conventional military hardware.
If the consignment was not for us, as seems more likely, several possibilities arise. One is that the government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Defence, is deliberately breaking the arms embargo on Sudan.
The implication is that Kenya has, in fact, already developed a position on likely outcomes of the referendum on Southern Sudan -- and the likely fallout from the same as the north reacts.
If that is the case, the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs should be exercising its oversight to ensure that this position is, in fact, a rational one, in line with the aspirations of our Southern Sudanese neighbours -- and one likely to assure Kenya of continued beneficial relations with both the south and the north into the future.
A second possibility is that individuals within the Ministry of Defence and/or the military itself are are breaking the embargo not on the government's behalf, but on behalf of their own pockets. If so, the Parliamentary Committee on Defence as well as the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission need to sit up and take notice.
Dr Medhane Tadesse of the Centre for Policy Research and Dialogue in Ethiopia, has ascribed the "piracy" to two things: First, the economic and political situation in the as yet unrecognised state of Puntland -- a state that is starved of more conventional sources of revenue and in which politicians aspiring for office are equally starved of campaign funds from more conventional campaign finance sources. Second, the economic needs of the Islamist organisations in Somalia given that old methods of financing have been substantially reduced by the so-called war on terror.
So, further interventions -- African-led but with the full support of the rest of the international community -- are needed with respect to the Horn as a whole. The Transitional Federal Government maintains but a semblance of control over the territory of Somalia, which includes the as yet unrecognised states of Puntland and Somaliland.
The African Union needs to take the lead with respect to finally recognising these two states. And then, if recognised, take the lead in ensuring that Puntland acquires the capacity to police its coastline effectively.
In the interim, the Red Sea is still too important a waterway to continue to ignore in this way. Unilateral action -- such as that by the French military recently in addressing the taking of one of its own national's ships -- will not suffice.
Multilateral action is required, which should again be African-led. And all states that benefit from the Red Sea -- including the United Arab Emirates, particularly Dubai, which is in the process of setting itself up as a shipping hub -- need to finance that effort to the full.
Piracy on this scale in the 21st century and in such a volatile part of Africa should not continue to be condoned. It is beyond ridiculous. And it must be dealt with.
L. Muthoni Wanyeki is executive director of the Kenya Human Rights Commission
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The East African. 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.
