Pirates In Indian Ocean: Seizing armory ship, oil tanker, etc & ransom demands

By Abdi Sheikh
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates holding a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks reiterated their demands for a $20 million ransom on Tuesday and denied three of their number had died in a shootout.
A maritime group monitoring the situation had earlier said three pirates were killed in a shootout between rival gunmen on the MV Faina, seized six days ago in the most high-profile of a wave of hijackings off lawless Somalia this year.
"We want $20 million ransom from the ship and we are 53 Somalis," said Sugule, the spokesman of the pirates onboard the Ukrainian ship, which is being shadowed by U.S. navy vessels.
"I will not talk about mediators or negotiation because we are at risk. I will not name where we are particularly but we are on the coast of Somalia," he told Reuters, adding the pirates would stay on board until their demands were met.
The capture of the MV Faina has sparked controversy over the destination of its cargo and thrown a spotlight on rampant piracy in one of the world's busiest shipping areas connecting Europe to Asia and the Middle East.
The East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, monitoring the hijacking via relatives of the crew and contacts with pirates, had earlier said that factions had argued over whether to free the cargo and crew.
But the pirates denied there had been any fighting.
"There are two American warships near us but we have neither fought nor communicated with them," Sugule said.
Two other pirates and a regional leader had earlier told Reuters there had been no shootout. Sugule said one of the 21 crew members had died due to illness.
The U.S. navy has said the ship, which was heading for Kenya's Mombasa port, was carrying T-72 tanks, grenade-launchers and ammunition ultimately bound for south Sudan via Kenya.
Kenya says the weaponry was for its own military.
Taking advantage of chaos on shore, where an Islamist-led insurgency has raged for nearly two years, Somali pirates have seized more than 30 ships this year and attacked many more.
RICH PIRATES
Most attacks have been in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and north Somalia, a major global sea artery used by about 20,000 vessels a year heading to and from the Suez Canal. The pirates have also struck in the busy Indian Ocean waters off south Somalia.
With U.S. and French military bases in the area, many are unhappy with the lack of international action.
"If civil aircraft were being hijacked on a daily basis, the response of governments would be very different," top shipping trade bodies and transport unions said in a joint statement.
"Yet ships, which are the lifeblood of the global economy, are seemingly out of sight and out of mind."
As well as using ransom money to build new homes and take new wives, the increasingly rich pirates have bought speedboats, satellite phones and other equipment to aid their trade.
"There is a striking similarity between the actions of these unscrupulous pirates and the activity in 'blood diamonds' in Liberia and Sierra Leone during the civil wars in these countries," said U.N. envoy to Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah.
"No ship, big or small, civil or military, is spared. With the seizure of the Ukrainian ship, a new line has been crossed."
U.S. analyst J. Peter Pham, of Madison University, called for a united international naval response, more attention to solving Somalia's civil conflict, and better protection equipment on board commercial vessels.
"Many have done little aside from being prepared to pay ransoms which only perpetuate the cycle of violence," he wrote in a new report on the Somali piracy phenomenon.
(Additional reporting by Stefano Ambrogi in London, Andrew Cawthorne in Nairobi and Abdiqani Hassan in Bosasso; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
 
Cha kujiuliza maswali ni kuwa Kenya tokea lini wakanunua silaha/ spea parts kutoka Urusi? Silaha kubwa kubwa kiasi hiki ni kwa ajili ya maandalizi ya vita ipi? Sio ajabu tumedanganywa na pengine hizi silaha hazikuwa za wakenya.
Silaha zinaelekea Sudan, hii kitu imefika pabaya ndio maana imebidi waseme Kenya, kwa sababu kupeleka silaha Sudan wakati wanajidai wanapinga mauaji halafu wanataka kumhukumu Raisi wa Sudani ni mambo ya Aibu. Lakini ni mzigo wa Sudan
 
Wamarekani ni watu wazuri sana, tena ni walinzi wa mataifa yote ulimwenguni; wanatusaidia kupambana na Magaidi pamoja na Itikadi kali duniani.
Wako Iraki wanajitahidi kuliwezesha lile taifa liwe la amani na sio la magaidi.
Wako Afghanistani wanajitahidi kupambana na mafedhuli Alkaida na Talebani hadi damu ya mwisho.

Big up Americans.
Kalaghabaho!! unadhani wanafanya bure sioo? Bepari afanye kitu bure!?
 
Silaha zinaelekea Sudan, hii kitu imefika pabaya ndio maana imebidi waseme Kenya, kwa sababu kupeleka silaha Sudan wakati wanajidai wanapinga mauaji halafu wanataka kumhukumu Raisi wa Sudani ni mambo ya Aibu. Lakini ni mzigo wa Sudan

Mkuu,

hawa mabwana nadhani wamewekewa ile "arms embargo" na UN na kwa
hivyo they are not supposed to trade in weapons.Balaa hata hivyo ni pale
ambapo serikali ya Kibaki inaijua hii kitu a'fu bado wanacheza dili na hawa
mahayawani.Mie naona sawa tu hawa ma-pirates wamefanya hiki kitendo otherwise who knows....more weapons for the genocide going on in Darfur.

That said, shame on Kibaki and his messed up advisors maana najua hii
dili imechezwa na wandani wake na sio serikali yote.His government has
this knack of engaging in controversies that make the west cringe maana
Kenya was once the blue eyed boy of the US but not no more.
 
Piracy: What do these people know?

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Updated 2 hr(s) 33 min(s) ago

By Cyrus Ombati and Agencies

Kenya is in the eye of global scrutiny over the real destination of the arms seized by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.

Questions are being raised on what exactly President Kibaki’s Government knows about the weapons that experts have insisted were destined for Southern Sudan in "an arms race with the North".

Kenya, whose role as mediator in the two-decade long Sudan civil war won global plaudits, has all along maintained the weaponry — that includes 33 T-72 tanks and artillery — belongs to its military.

But on Thursday, experts were questioning the actual role, if any, of the top military brass led by Chief of General Staff General Jeremiah Kianga in the controversial procurement.

They also sought to find out what Defence Minister Yusuf Haji and his predecessor, Njenga Karume, knew of the potentially embarrassing saga.

Just to underline the seriousness of the situation that the country finds itself in, a section of the international press was drawing parallels between Kenya’s perceived role in Southern Sudan and that of communist Cuba during the Angolan civil war — when they backed the MPLA.

Sources told The Standard that they had information on the involvement of two former Cabinet ministers last year in the procurement of the arms that the United States says were headed for Southern Sudan.

And as matters appeared to spiral out of control, top military officers held a meeting at the Department of Defence (DoD) headquarters to discuss the issue that has the potential of denting Kenya’s image abroad.

As we went to press, details of the meeting remained scanty.

The Nairobi Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army Spokesman Jervasia Okot said his Government imported "everything through the Mombasa Port, including heavy vehicles but not weapons".

The declaration appeared to contradict another that was made at the weekend in Khartoum by SPLM spokesman Byor Ajang, who was quoted by the Financial Times as saying the former rebels have "a right to import weapons without the consent of the North". He was referring to the National Congress Party partner in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended two decades of war.

Under the terms of the peace treaty, Southern Sudan is permitted to operate and fund its own military, separate from the national army. There have been reports that the South has plans to build its own air force, ahead a referendum in 2011, that could see its severance from Khartoum.

On Thursday, sources told The Standard that a Cabinet sub-committee on Defence, which President Kibaki chairs, could be planning a meeting to discuss the issue.

As this was happening, pertinent questions emerged.

One, when did the Department of Defence’s Tendering Board sit to decide on the procurement of the tanks and other ammunition?

Were trials for the tankers carried out before the DoD decided to buy the tanks? And if so, when was this done?

End-User Certificate

Were there soldiers sent to Ukraine to learn the operations and maintenance of the hardware? Who are they and their travel details?

Further, were procurement procedures followed? If so, were they documented? And who paid for the consignment?

Also, queries were being asked on the whereabouts of a mandatory Arms End-User Certificate to prove the Kenyan Government’s ownership of the weapons. The Government has, so far, only made public the bill of lading and other documents.

The End-User Certificate would have been required by Ukraine to sell the weapons to the Government and its production would clear all doubts of ownership.

Yet back in Kiev, the Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was calling for an investigation into the destination of the weapons.

On Thursday, DoD Spokesman Bogita Ongeri asked for more time to answer the questions posed by The Standard. He later called back to refer us to Government Spokesman Alfred Mutua, who declined to answer any of them.

Internal Security PS Francis Kimemia and his Defence colleague, Nancy Kirui, asked not to be dragged into the debate.

"If the weapons belong to Kenya, would we not be interested in talking to the pirates to secure our weapons? Press reports show that foreign militaries and the international Press are in active contact with the pirates, why are foreigners showing more concern for the cargo of the Mv Faina than the Government of Kenya, which claims to have used tax-payers funds to acquire the cargo?" posed a governance lobby on Thursday. Sudan’s Ambassador to Kenya, Majok Guandong, said Khartoum and Sudan "has nothing to do with these weapons," and termed the US claims as baseless.

Sources have indicated that this was not the first consignment of arms for the Sudan —previous deliveries took place in November last year and January.

A senior military officer said he had information that more than 100 T-72 and T-55 Russian tanks had been received by Southern Sudan in the past year alone.

Other sources were quoted as saying authorities in Khartoum were re-equipping their armed forces with equipment from Malaysia, China and North Korea.

Southern Sudan has been buying Russian-made tanks over the last year, officials said, including nearly 50 T-54 battle tanks.

Attention was drawn to this in February when one shipment was briefly held up at Mombasa amid the post-election turmoil, agencies reported.

A former Cabinet minister, now an MP, has also been cited as part of the local syndicate that brokered the deal.

The Standard | Online Edition :: Piracy: What do these people know?
 
Hijacked tanks 'for South Sudan'

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The 20-man crew of the hijacked Ukrainian vessel, MV Faina, stand side-by-side along the ship's deck after the US Navy asked the Somali pirates to prove the hostages were being well looked after. One hostage has reportedly died since the stand-off began two weeks ago.


The BBC has seen evidence suggesting that the Ukrainian ship being held by pirates off Somalia is carrying weapons and tanks destined for South Sudan.

A copy of the freight manifest appears to show contracts for the hardware were made by the Kenyan Ministry of Defence on behalf of South Sudan's government.

This would directly contradict repeated statements by Kenya that the weapons on board the MV Faina are for its army.

Last week, the Somali government said the ship's owners were involved in direct negotiations with the pirates, who are demanding a $20m (£11m) ransom.

It has been reported that the pirates had an argument, leading to a shoot-out last week. The pirates have denied this and said they remained optimistic that a peaceful resolution could be reached.

'Diplomatic embarrassment'
A copy of the MV Faina's manifest given to the BBC appears to confirm that the contract was issued on behalf of South Sudan, although the Kenyan defence ministry is named as the consignee.

Contract numbers for tanks, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and anti-aircraft guns contain the initials GOSS, which military sources tell the BBC is a reference to the Government Of South Sudan.

Kenya could be seen as playing the same role as Cuba did during the Angolan civil war​

The Kenyan government has not yet commented on the document but it has been presented to the defence and foreign relations committee of Kenya's parliament.

Kenya has repeatedly insisted that the shipment was part of a programme to restock its military.

The BBC's Karen Allen in Nairobi says that this will be a huge embarrassment to the Kenyan government.

Although the import of military hardware is not illegal, it does put Kenya in a tight spot diplomatically, our correspondent says, not least because it was Kenya which helped broker an end to the civil war between South Sudan and the government in Khartoum in 2005.

The MV Faina is currently moored off the coast of Somalia, close to the town of Hobyo. There have been conflicting reports about where its cargo was destined for since it was captured two weeks ago.

Military balance
Last week, Western military experts told the BBC that the tanks on board the MV Faina were going to Sudan and that the shipment indicated an arms race between North and South Sudan had begun.


The pirates want a $20m ransom for the MV Faina and its valuable cargo

They are reported to both be building up their forces ahead of a referendum on independence for the South in 2011.

The military experts, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a previous delivery of tanks had taken place last November.

Helmoed Heitman, Africa correspondent for Jane's Defence Weekly, also said he had reports that more than 100 T-72 and T-55 Russian tanks have been received by the southern Sudanese in recent months.

"If these reports are true, they could change the regional military balance," he told the BBC.

"Kenya could be seen as playing the same role as Cuba did during the Angolan civil war - when they armed the MPLA."

The experts said the tanks would most likely be dug in along Sudan's north-south border, with the tanks using their guns to protect military installations.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Hijacked tanks 'for South Sudan'
 
Report reveals arms imports

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A Soviet tank on display. A report says Kenya has been importing tanks, submachine guns and automatic rifles without reporting to the UN, in defiance of international agreements.

By SUNDAY NATION Team

A total of 77 tanks and 15 jet fighters were secretly imported by Kenya last year alone, according to official documents.

Two rocket launchers and more than 40,000 automatic rifles and machine guns were also brought in, the United Nations says.

Yet the government has not reported its arms purchases to the United Nations, as required by international agreements, the Sunday Nation can reveal.

Instead, Kenya told the UN it had not imported any arms at all.


The purchases are detailed in a report by Ukraine to the United Nations in which it said it had exported the tanks and guns, among other weapons.

The jet fighter imports from Jordan are shown in a report published on the internet this week by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute which tracks the international movement of arms.

Ukraine’s reports of exports to Kenya were filed by the source country to the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms, UNROCA.

Since 1993 when the register was first compiled, Kenya has been reporting that it made no imports and no exports of arms.

The purchases represent a significant rearming of Kenya’s military. As a sovereign nation, Kenya has a right to buy and sell arms.

Kenya treats virtually all information about its military as classified, though a lot of information about its strength and armaments can be gleaned from official and academic sources.

The report by the Stockholm Institute shows that Ukraine inherited millions of small arms and light weapons after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, ending up with over seven million small arms and light weapons which it has over the years exported to different countries.

Top five importers

The top five importers were the United States, the UK, Libya, Azerbaijan and Georgia, itself previously part of the Soviet Union.

“Ukraine has made significant progress in improving transparency and controlling exports in recent years,” wrote Paul Holtom of the institute.

According to the latest report released by the Ukrainian government, Kenya imported 40,000 automatic rifles and submachine guns and 405 grenade launchers last year.

“Although Kenyan officials made it clear that the 33 T-72 tanks, grenade launchers and ammunition aboard the hijacked Ukrainian ship MV Faina were part of a larger deal under which tanks, artillery and small arms and light weapons were delivered by Ukraine in 2007, these weapons did not appear in Kenya’s recent submission to UNROCA for 2007,” Mr Holtom wrote.

Significantly, he pointed out, the report to UNROCA of no imports or exports was made on September 26 this year, the same day that MV Faina was hijacked off the coast of Somalia and just hours before it was expected to dock at the port of Mombasa.

The international mechanism for reporting imports and exports of arms and light weapons was established in 1992, the Sunday Nation established, but Kenya has always reported to the UN that it neither imported nor exported small arms and light weapons.

DAILY NATION - Report reveals arms imports
 
hahaha, wanataka kupigana na nani hawa wakikuyu? au waanataka kupigana na tz...wanahangaika tu. these days, watu hata hatuhitaji sana hayomatanki, watu wanaweza wakapigania maneno,au hata brifikesi tu. iran inaihangaisha marekani kwa maneno tu hadi leo.
 
Cha kujiuliza maswali ni kuwa Kenya tokea lini wakanunua silaha/ spea parts kutoka Urusi? Silaha kubwa kubwa kiasi hiki ni kwa ajili ya maandalizi ya vita ipi? Sio ajabu tumedanganywa na pengine hizi silaha hazikuwa za wakenya.[/quote]


Kubwajinga,
Heshima yako mkuu.
Wala hujakosea mjomba.Hebu soma hii article hapa chini unambie...

Hijacked tanks 'for South Sudan'


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The 20-man crew of the hijacked Ukrainian vessel, MV Faina, stand side-by-side along the ship's deck after the US Navy asked the Somali pirates to prove the hostages were being well looked after. One hostage has reportedly died since the stand-off began two weeks ago.


The BBC has seen evidence suggesting that the Ukrainian ship being held by pirates off Somalia is carrying weapons and tanks destined for South Sudan.

A copy of the freight manifest appears to show contracts for the hardware were made by the Kenyan Ministry of Defence on behalf of South Sudan's government.

This would directly contradict repeated statements by Kenya that the weapons on board the MV Faina are for its army.

'Diplomatic embarrassment'
A copy of the MV Faina's manifest given to the BBC appears to confirm that the contract was issued on behalf of South Sudan, although the Kenyan defence ministry is named as the consignee.

Military balance
Last week, Western military experts told the BBC that the tanks on board the MV Faina were going to Sudan and that the shipment indicated an arms race between North and South Sudan had begun.

They are reported to both be building up their forces ahead of a referendum on independence for the South in 2011.

"If these reports are true, they could change the regional military balance," he told the BBC.

"Kenya could be seen as playing the same role as Cuba did during the Angolan civil war - when they armed the MPLA."

The experts said the tanks would most likely be dug in along Sudan's north-south border, with the tanks using their guns to protect military installations.

BBC NEWS | Africa | Hijacked tanks 'for South Sudan'



Titchaz,
Shukran kwa udadidisi wako. Hatimaye yale tuliyokuwa tuna-mashaka nayo yamekuwa kweli. Kenya kama kawaida hawaachi kuwa on the wrong side of what the African continent is aspiring for, i.e. peace and stability. I wonder if arming SPLM will bring peace or further the tention with the north after the referandum.
 
Kenya wanakubali kuwa ni zao na wewe unasema kuwa si zao! sasa mkweli ni nani?

M-fisadi,
Kwa vile ni deal, Kenya lazima matamko yao yawe ya ajabu ajabu. Angalau siri zimevuja kwa hiyo sasa Kenya itabidi watoe tamko rasmi la nia yao kwenye hiyo deal yote.
 
Titchaz,
Shukran kwa udadidisi wako. Hatimaye yale tuliyokuwa tuna-mashaka nayo yamekuwa kweli. Kenya kama kawaida hawaachi kuwa on the wrong side of what the African continent is aspiring for, i.e. peace and stability. I wonder if arming SPLM will bring peace or further the tention with the north after the referandum.

Kubwajinga,

the biggest blunder in Kenya's politics lies with Kibaki stealing the elections
in 2012.Huyu bwana kwa sasa analeta tension kubwa kati ya the Govt in Khartoum
na SPLA.Kisha kumbuka during President Moi's time, the man really
promoted peace and stability in that region.Hata UN walikua wanamtambua.

Enter Kibaki, Kenya becomes bedmates with the Libyans who have questionable
dealings.Kisha kuna uhusiano na wa-China ambao its making the
Americans hot under the collar.Sasa hii arms trafficking na Sudan is really ugly
depending on what side you are standing.Kuna artricle nyengine ya arms trafficking
ambayo its indicting the authorities in Kenya.I will later merge it with this one.

Bottomline:Kibaki's govt is not doing us justice as East Africans.

Shukran.
 
The Kenya Govt spin:


Wetangula: Here’s proof arms are ours

Updated on: Thursday, October 09, 2008

Story by: By Alex Owiti

Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula yesterday dismissed claims that the tanks and military cargo seized by Somali pirates were bound for Southern Sudan and insisted that it belonged to Kenya’s armed forces. The minister went further to explain why the acronym "GOSS" does not refer to the Southern Sudan Government.

The minister said reports by a section of the foreign media to the effect that the cargo’s manifest indicated that it belonged to Southern Sudan were farfetched and vexatious. Some reports had indicated that the contract documents included the acronym "GOSS", which was interpreted to mean the Government Of Southern Sudan.

But Wetangula said in the local military parlance GOSS means General Ordinance Supplies and Security. He said this was a code for the department of defence. He also said the initials M.O.S.D did not mean Minister of State for Southern Sudan but the Minister of State for Defence which represented the Government of Kenya.

Wetengula said Kenya and military experts from the international community will team up to secure the Kenyan military cargo and crew seized by Somali pirates.

Wetangula, who was hosting the Foreign Minister for Somalia, Ali Mohammed Jama at his office, told reporters that the only way to curb piracy in the Indian ocean was to engage the international community because many ship merchants were now afraid to pass through the Somali territorial waters to reach the Kenyan coast. "This has led to the increased freight costs and many ships are now afraid to come to Kenya." he said.

Wetangula said the UN Security Council resolution had now allowed the Kenyan Navy and other military experts from the international community including US Marines, British Navy, France, and Russia to enter the Somali territorial waters to keep watch over the hijacked Ukrainian ship carrying the Kenyan imported weapons and hostages until they are rescued from the pirates.

He said the ships coming to the Kenyan Coast now wanted paid hefty insurance cover and security. Wetangula also confirmed the bid by the UN Security to use extraterritorial force to enter the Somali territorial waters and deal with the pirates that have continued to pose a threat to the leadership problem in Somalia.

"Resolution 1816 of the Security Council passed in June can now allow the UN to use extraterritorial force while moving to the Somalia territorial waters to deal with the pirates."

He said piracy had been an impediment to the success of Somali peace and leadership struggle and termed it as an international web that had been left to spread and grow at the expense of economic development and trade relations of African nations sharing the Indian Ocean waters. Wetangula told those countries whose nationalities were held hostage by the pirates not to succumb to ransom demands by the pirates since it would encourage them to further their criminal acts.

Last week the pirates demanded a $20 million ransom for the MV Faina and its valuable cargo but yesterday the pirates had downsized their demands to a ransom of $8 million before they could release the ship. Wetangula also called on the international community to deploy military support from their countries to assist in patrolling the Indian Ocean to protect the trade routes in territorial waters that had been synchronised by the pirates for ransom.

At the same time, the Somali Foreign Affairs Minister, Ali Jama, confirmed an undertaking by the Security Council to discuss the piracy issue. He said the issue was not only a threat to the Somali government but also it endangered the lives of traders using the maritime routes in the Indian Ocean.

Jama described the hijackings of the Ukrainian ship by the pirates as a primitive act in the 21st century. He said piracy in the Somali territorial waters had began on a small scale but now it had grown into organised crime that had broadened its networks around the world.

Jama confirmed that the pirates had now reaped millions of dollars to a tune of US$ 50 million from ship merchants who have been operating along maritime routes. He called on the nations attempting to assist in rescue operations of the hijacked ship to exercise caution. "It is difficult to act swiftly because of the hostage situation. I would urge the rescuing team to exercise caution not to risk the lives of the hostages."

The Ukrainian ship carrying the 33 T72 tanks is still moored off the Somali coast. The MV Faina is surrounded by warships from the US, Russia and other countries. Pirates reveal precarious peace.

Kenya has always insisted that the military hardware was destined for its army. On Tuesday, the High Court granted bail to Andrew Mwangura, a spokesman for the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme, who had been arrested after he said the tanks were bound for Southern Sudan.

Mr. Mwangura was charged with making alarming statements and illegal possession of marijuana. However, he has not yet raised the Sh200,000, ($2,700) cash bail and so he is still in custody.

Last week, credible sources said that the tanks on board the MV Faina were destined for Sudan and that the shipment amounted to an arms race between North and South Sudan.

Reports indicate that both North and South Sudan seem to be building up arms for their forces ahead of a referendum on independence for the South in 2011. The same reports said that a previous delivery of tanks had taken place last November.

.:: The Kenya Times Online ::.
 
Earlier they had issued in this statement....



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Date Posted: 2/10/2008

HIJACKED SHIP: UPDATE & POSITION OF THE GOVERNMENT OF KENYA

The Government is actively monitoring the situation of the hijacked ship MV FAINA containing cargo for the Kenyan Military. The Government continues to work closely with our security partners in this endeavour. The Government has noted with concern, propaganda being peddled questioning the ownership of our Military equipment, which is in that ship. To this end, it should be very clear that:-


1. The Government of Kenya has claimed ownership of the cargo in the hijacked ship and stated in more than one forum that it is our cargo.

2. The shippers and sellers of the equipment have stated clearly that the cargo is for the Kenyan Ministry of Defence.

3. The Government of Sudan has also stated clearly that they have not ordered any of the said equipment.

4. Shipping documents show clearly that the cargo in the ship is destined for the Kenyan Military.


The question then arises – Why are some people making this an issue? The Government has been clear on this matter and will not get drawn to keep on repeating itself and justifying its military strategy, use of military equipment and defence plans.

Therefore, the Government does not have anything more to add to this issue and request media to stop making wild guesses, speculation and interferences, with no iota of proof or documents to back them.

In the near past, we have seen many allegations against Government Agencies pushed and promoted by media houses without any evidence given whatsoever. These allegations have in the most part been found to be baseless after causing so much disharmony in the country.

For example, at one time, newspapers and TV Stations ran headline stories questioning the authencity of a drug cache being held by the Kenyan Police. They even alluded that the drugs had been stolen and sold. International, including United Nations experts, came and publicly ascertained the drugs were all there despite the previous media propaganda that had been quoting so called “reliable” sources. Media never spoke of how wrong they, media, were.

We are all aware of the various allegations made during the last elections and the Kreigler Commission’s report showing no evidence to back up some of the serious allegations.

We, therefore, all need to be careful when we make serious allegations, and, especially, not just ask leading questions that confuse Wananchi. If you have proof provide it, and say what you are sure of, but it is wrong to hide behind questions, most of which are at times based on propaganda from discontented individuals and/or at worst terrorists.



Dr. Alfred N. Mutua, EBS
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY/
GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN


2nd October, 2008

Published by:
Office of Government Spokesperson
KICC Building, 3rd Floor
8 Harambee Avenue
P.O.Box 45617-00100
Nairobi - Kenya
Tel: +254-020-2240488
+254-020-2223521
Fax: +254-020-240600
Email: comms@comms.go.ke
SMS (Celtel/Safaricom): 2888
 
Arms ship: UN okays commando attack

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Military experts have proposed a commando style raid to overpower the pirates on board, rather than a direct attack on the hijacked MV Faina ship.

By ALPHONCE SHIUNDU and DOMINIC WABALLA

Posted Wednesday, October 8 2008 at 22:01

The United Nations has authorised force to free the hijacked Ukrainian ship.
The UN Security Council resolved that states with warships and planes in the area should attack the ship “on the high seas and airspace off the coast of Somalia”.

Military experts believed the most likely option was a commando style raid to overpower the pirates on board, rather than a direct attack on the ship.

Shelling the vessel could cause a catastrophic explosion and kill the hostages as well as losing the entire cargo, they said.

The Security Council resolution was described by the UN as necessary to repress piracy, consistent with the 1982 UN Convention on the law of the Sea.

The vote to attack the pirates holding the ship that has been moored off Somalia since September 26 came as the Kenya Government through Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang’ula backed the use of force to repossess the ship.

The Government has insisted the controversial 33 T-72 tanks, rocket propelled grenades and spare parts on the MV Faina belong to Kenya's Defence ministry although other reports maintain the cargo was destined for South Sudan.

Approval for force came as a Reuters report quoted an associate of the pirates holding the ship as saying an $8 million (Sh576m) ransom deal was in the offing, which may enable the boat to be freed within days.

“A boat will carry the money from Djibouti and pirates are expected to release the ship in the coming two nights,” a business partner of the pirates, who identified himself only as Farah, told Reuters.

“I think the Americans are aware of the deal because there is no other alternative to release the ship,” added Farah, who has given reliable information in the past about piracy.

“If the warships threatened, pirates would die in a last-ditch fight and risk the hostages.”

Tuesday’s UN resolution poses a challenge to Kenya’s ability to secure the tanks to which it has laid claim.

Restore order

The 15-country UN Security council has on more than one occasion called for the deployment of military vessels and aircraft to restore order in the lawless Gulf of Aden.

On Wednesday, Mr Wetang’ula said: “We will fight the pirates anywhere and everywhere to keep the high seas safe.”

However, the resolution only applies to pirates off Somalia, whose 1,880-mile coastline is the longest in Africa and near key shipping routes that connect the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea.

Addressing a news conference at his office, Mr Wetang’ula insisted that ransom should not be paid. “The more you pay, the more you empower them,” he said.

It is estimated that the pirates have made between $30-50 million from ransom payments over the past year.

DAILY NATION - Arms ship: UN okays commando attack
 
..nimesoma habari kwamba serikali ya Kenya imekuwa ikinunua silaha kwa niaba ya Southern Sudan.

..Southern Sudan wana mpango wa kujitenga na toka Sudan na kuanzisha jamhuri yao. wanasubiri wakati wa referendum kuchukua uamuzi huo.

..some news sources zinasema kwamba Southern Sudan wameanza kununua silaha nzito kujiweka tayari kwa lolote lile.

..kwa upande mwingine siku za karibuni serikali ya Raisi Kikwete imekuwa karibu mno na serikali ya Omar Al-Bashir. operesheni ya kusaidia Comoro ilikuwa ishirikishe askari toka Sudan--sijui kama walitokea. vilevile Raisi Kikwete amekuwa mstari wa mbele kupinga mahakama ya kimataifa inayomtuhumu Al-Bashir kwa genocide.

..je, huu urafiki wa South Sudan na Kenya kwa upande mmoja, na North Sudan na Tanzania kwa upande mwingine, una madhara gani kwa ndugu wawili Tanzania na Kenya, na mustakabali wa jumuiya ya Afrika Mashariki?
 
I hope religion has nothing to do with it, God forbid! South si ni mostly Christ's followers?
 
jokaKuu na Nkamangi,
Religion has nothing to do with it. Business opportunities does. I was in Southern Sudan in 2000. Kenya already has a leg up in that area businesswise. They already have a bank there and there are plans of Kenya airways flying directly to Juba and Rumbek. If southern Sudan chooses to brerakaway Kenya will be the immediate beneficiary. Southern Sudan needs everything for its development and Kenya will not only be a conduit but a supplier also.
 
I hope religion has nothing to do with it, God forbid! South si ni mostly Christ's followers?

itz not religion but OIL (and GUM ARABIC). kenya is used as a proxy jus like ethiopia in somalia or tanzania in comoro.
 
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