Sudan allows former foe Israel to fly over its territory - Gaddafi said Israel, not Bashir, behind Darfur war

Sudan allows former foe Israel to fly over its territory
Report by BBC World Service

Dated 17 February 2020

BBC Image credit and caption: Nur Photo

The first Israeli plane crossed Sudan on Saturday on its way to South America (file photo)

Israel says it has begun flying commercial aircraft through Sudanese airspace under an agreement with the Khartoum government.

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, told a group of visiting US Jewish leaders that the first Israeli plane crossed Sudan on Saturday, bound for South America.

He said the new air corridor would cut the flying time on the route by three hours.

Sudan said in early Ferbruary that it had given initial approval for Israeli planes to fly over its territory.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel was discussing rapid normalisation of ties with its former foe.

Sudan, which has close ties with the Palestinians, has stopped short of referring to improving ties with Israel.

View Original: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cq23pdgvgm8t/sudan

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Copy of Reuters report from the archives of Sudan Watch 2009:

Gaddafi says Israel, not Bashir, behind Darfur war

Report from Reuters

Written by Lamine Ghanmi; Editing by Kevin Liffey 

Dated 24 February 2009 / 6:43 PM / 11 YEARS AGO

TRIPOLI, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the current African Union president, on Tuesday accused "foreign forces" including Israel of being behind the Darfur conflict.

Judges from the International Criminal Court are due to announce on March 4 whether they will issue a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir over allegations that he masterminded genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region. U.N. diplomats have told Reuters the warrant will be issued.

But Gaddafi, addressing a meeting on ways to expand cooperation between the United Nations and African Union, urged the Court to stop its proceedings against Bashir:

"Why do we have to hold President Bashir or the Sudanese government responsible when the Darfur problem was caused by outside parties, and Tel Aviv (Israel), for example, is behind the Darfur crisis?"

Gaddafi suggested, without presenting any evidence, that the Israeli military was among those stoking the conflict:

"It is not a secret. We have found evidence proving clearly that foreign forces are behind the Darfur problem and are fanning its fire," Gaddafi said, according to the Libyan state news agency Jana.

"We discovered that some of the main leaders of the Darfur rebels have opened offices in Tel Aviv and hold meetings with the military there to add fuel to the conflict fire."

Mostly non-Arab rebels took up arms against Sudan’s government in 2003, accusing it of neglecting the Darfur region. Khartoum mobilised mostly Arab militias to crush the rebellion.

International experts say the fighting has killed 200,000 people and uprooted 2.7 million. Sudan’s government denies any genocide, saying that 10,000 have been killed and that Western media exaggerate the conflict.

Gaddafi himself has made a number of attempts to broker peace talks between Darfur rebels and the Sudanese government. 

View Original: https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLO50752
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FURTHER READING
From the archives of Sudan Watch:

August 17, 2019

Ex-Israel spy admits lobbying US on behalf of Sudan military council

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2019/08/dickens-madson-lobbyists-dont-know.html

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May 27, 2009

Suspected Israeli airstrike on a convoy in Sudan January 2009 killed 119 people

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/05/suspected-israeli-airstrike-on-convoy.html

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April 13, 2009

Envoy to Tehran stresses Mossad's role in Sudan's insecurity

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/04/sudans-envoy-to-tehran-stresses-mossads.html

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April 05, 2009

Africa Confidential heard that another arms convoy was moving north near Red Sea coast and Egyptian forces were moving to Sudan border to block it

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/04/africa-confidential-heard-that-another.html

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March 26, 2009

Unidentified aircraft destroyed suspected arms convoy in E. Sudan last January (Update 4)

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/03/unidentified-aircraft-destroyed.html

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February 28, 2009

AU Chairman: Hard Evidence Proves Israel behind Darfur Conflict

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/02/au-chairman-hard-evidence-proves-israel.html

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February 18, 2009

SLM's Abdel Wahid al-Nur visits Israel - 

Sudanese rebel leader meets with Israeli spies

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/02/slms-abdel-wahid-al-nur-visits-israel.html

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February 03, 2009

Israeli owner of MV Faina pays $3.2m ransom - Its cargo destined for Darfur? JEM has received heavy military logistical support from Israel?

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2009/02/israeli-owner-of-mv-faina-pays-32m.html

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October 31, 2008

Ukraine says military hardware carried by hijacked Ukrainian ship MV Faina had been officially sold to Kenya (Update 1)

https://sudanwatch.blogspot.com/2008/10/ukraine-says-military-hardware-carried.html

Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) refuses to confirm Ukrainian tank deal

A Russian newspaper, Vremya Novostei, reports that Ukraine is selling the Sudanese government 100 T-72M tanks via the Ukrainian company, Ukrspetsexport.

SPLA are not allowed to buy weapons from abroad, according to the CPA.

UN Security Council resolutions 1556 and 1591 prohibit the sale of arms to warring parties in the Darfur region where SAF is combating armed anti-government groups.

Source: SRS report here below.

SAF Refuses To Confirm Ukrainian Tank Deal
From SRS - Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 18 February 2010:

(Khartoum) - A Russian newspaper, Vremya Novostei, reports that Ukraine is selling the Sudanese government 100 T-72M tanks via the Ukrainian company, Ukrspetsexport.

Afrik website reports that the weapons company is shipping the tanks to Port Sudan as part of a 70 million USD contract.

The Sudan Armed Forces said that they deal openly with Russia in purchasing different types of weapons and ammunitions, but they weren’t prepared to confirm the Ukrainian tank contract.

SAF office spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Al-Sawarmi Khalid, spoke to SRS from Khartoum on Thursday.

[Lieutenant-Colonel Al-Sawarmi Khalid]: “We will not talk about the type of weapons that come to Sudan or the type of weapons we are arming SAF with, but trade and co-operation between us and Russia is open, whether it is in the field of airplanes, tanks or other equipment. There is no problem with that, but what the report says about the tanks particularly, we can’t confirm that.”

Khalid says that neither the international treaties nor the CPA bans SAF from buying weapons.

[Lieutenant-Colonel Al-Sawarmi Khalid]: “According to international treaties, or the agreement between us and the SPLM, there is nothing indicating that SAF is banned from buying or dealing in weapons. But the SPLA are not allowed to buy weapons from abroad, according to the CPA.”

UN Security Council resolutions 1556 and 1591 prohibit the sale of arms to warring parties in the Darfur region where SAF is combating armed anti-government groups.

Click on blue FAINA label here below for related reports.

South Sudan Gov't cannot account for $8 billion it received over last 4 years?

Ahmed Ibrahim al-Tahir has urged the Government of South Sudan to account for $8 billion that it received over a four-year period.

Report by Sudan Radio Service, Thursday, 20 August 2009:
Al-Tahir Calls on GOSS to Account for 8 Billion USD

(Khartoum) – The speaker of the National Assembly in Khartoum, Ahmed Ibrahim al-Tahir has urged GOSS to account for the 8 billion USD that has been dispatched to them over a four-year period.

Addressing a forum attended by representatives of oil-producing states in Sudan, al-Tahir said that development of the south is the sole responsibility of GOSS and it should be transparent in how they spend their share of the oil revenue.

Sudan Radio Service asked the SPLM secretary for the southern sector, Bol Makueng, for his reaction to al-Tahir’s statement.

[Bol Makueng]: “First of all that chairman [al-Tahir] does not have the interests of the people of south Sudan at heart. Secondly, it is one of their tactics to create havoc here in the south, either through militia so that there is insecurity or through media propaganda so that the country is seen as being a failed or corrupt state. They think that they have the right to do things on our behalf and then we have to account for what they do. This is not acceptable. Now the figures they are talking about are figures that when you go into details later on, you can not trace them to wherever they claim they have sent that money to. Because we don’t know how much oil is sold and how much money it sold at or how much percentage of that money is given to us. That is the paradox of the northern claims. Perhaps they have taken the monopoly of managing the oil money, so they can say anything; they can say they have given us trillions. They are always apportioning blame, apportioning anything bad to the south or to GOSS or to the SPLM."

Bol Makueng was reacting to accusations that GOSS has can not account for 8 billion USD which it received over the last 4 years.

Note to self. If 100 tanks were ordered by Government of South Sudan the order ought to show up somewhere in the accounts, no?

Faina cargo: Final destination of the tanks is a compound N.E. of Juba controlled by the military wing of the South Sudan Army?

According to the following article by British journalist Fred Bridgland in Johannesburg, the mystery of what happened to 33 Russian-made T-72 combat tanks discovered by Somali pirates aboard a Ukrainian ship they hijacked ten months ago has been solved.  I wonder how Mr Bridgland can be so sure.  The story has taken so many twists and turns I think he ought to have prefaced the statement 'has been solved' with a few words such as 'it would appear'.  

See Jane's intelligence report reprinted at Sudan Watch July 19, 2009: MV Faina cargo: 100 tanks were ordered by Government of South Sudan - and note this excerpt that shows Mr Bridgland has jumped to conclusions and made stuff up by stating that the 'final destination of the tanks is a compound northeast of Juba controlled by the military wing of the South Sudan Army':

"... Since March, however, eyewitness reports, some corroborated by photographic evidence, have placed the tanks elsewhere. At the same time, extensive construction has been ongoing at a military compound of the Sudan People's Liberation Army.

Jane's began an extensive satellite imagery canvass of the area in March, aiming to trace the movement of T-72s from Mombasa towards South Sudan. While the analysis does not conclude that the tanks aboard the Faina were in transit towards their ostensible rightful owners, it does show a pattern of tanks making their way north.

Also, note Mr Bridgland states that South Sudan is stockpiling weapons in case civil war reignites.  How does he know, I wonder.  Considering he is a veteran reporter, I find his irresponsible reporting disgraceful. More on him at the end of this blog post.  

From Sunday Herald - 'Scotland's award-winning independent newspaper' Saturday, 26 July 2009, by Fred Bridgland in Johannesburg
Murky global arms trail leads to volatile South Sudan

SUDAN: Tanks traced via satellite imagery to region stockpiling weapons in case civil war reignites

From Fred Bridgland in Johannesburg

THE MYSTERY of what happened to 33 Russian-made T-72 combat tanks discovered by Somali pirates aboard a Ukrainian ship they hijacked ten months ago has been solved.

The tanks, with enormous fire-power and each weighing 41 tonnes, have begun arriving - in breach of a peace agreement - in the semi-autonomous province of South Sudan, according to Jane's, the world's leading military intelligence publisher.

The T-72s aboard the MV Faina were one of three clandestine tank and heavy weapons deliveries to South Sudan accidentally revealed to the world by the pirates. The tanks were being sent to South Sudan in preparation for a new war in case Sudan's 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) - brokered by Norway, Britain and the US - collapsed.

Fortunately, the 110-year-old Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague last week reached a decision on the disputed Abyei region which has probably saved the CPA and has paved the way to a referendum on South Sudan's secession and independence from Sudan in 18 months' time.

South Sudan is certain to vote for independence from Sudan, Africa's biggest state, setting a precedent in Africa, whose organisations have previously maintained that the continent's post-colonial boundaries are inviolate.

The oil-rich and well-watered Abyei region straddles the border between South Sudan and the powerful north, with its capital in Khartoum, and was claimed by both sides. North-South fighting there last year left more than 100 dead and the main town, Abyei, reduced to ashes. It also threatened to trigger again the country's 22-year civil war which was ended by the CPA. It is estimated more than two million people died in the conflict, with four million becoming refugees.

The five-judge Permanent Court of Arbitration redrew Abyei's borders and the compromise has been accepted by both the Sudan government in Khartoum and the semi-autonomous South Sudan administration in Juba.

In a story worthy of John Le Carré, Jane's, citing satellite and intelligence evidence, traced the circuitous journey of the tanks and other weapons aboard the MV Faina from 25 September last year, the day Somali buccaneers hoisted themselves aboard the ship and the 17-member crew surrendered. The Faina's captain, Vladimir Kolobkov, died of a heart attack soon after the hijack and his captors put his body in the ship's freezer for later return to his family.

Once aboard, the pirates discovered that, in addition to the T-72s, there were also six anti-aircraft guns, 150 grenade launchers and thousands of tonnes of small arms and ammunition.

The pirates demanded a ransom of US$20 million for the release of the Faina, its crew and cargo, triggering more than three months of negotiations. Finally, with the Faina surrounded by the United States' 5th Fleet and the pirates threatening to blow up the ship unless their demands were met, they settled for $3.2m, paid in dollar bills which were parachuted on to the Faina's deck from a light aircraft.

The question was: where would the Faina head next? Its original destination was the Kenyan port of Mombasa. The Kenyan government claimed the Russian tanks were intended for its army, even though its small armed forces were entirely equipped with British and American weaponry.

However, Edward Mwangura, head of the Mombasa-based non-profit East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, which works to free ships held by Somali sea raiders, said he was convinced the tanks were intended for South Sudan. Among his evidence, he said, was the Kenyan government's inability to produce certificates proving ownership of the weaponry.

Mwangura was arrested by Kenyan security forces and charged with "making alarming statements to foreign media touching on the security of the country".

But Jane's last week confirmed the accuracy of Mwangura's allegation. The popular Seafarers' Assistance chairman, subsequently released from detention, is to be the subject of a Hollywood film with Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L Jackson as Mwangura.

Jane's said that once the ransom had been paid the tanks were unloaded in Mombasa and taken to Kahawa army base outside Nairobi.

It said satellite imagery surveillance from March onwards showed "a pattern of tanks making their way north" from Nairobi to the South Sudan border.

Again via satellite imagery, Jane's identified the final destination of the tanks as a compound northeast of Juba controlled by the military wing of the South Sudan Army.

Quoting intelligence reports, Jane's said there had been at least three ship deliveries of tanks, totalling more than T-72s, via Mombasa for South Sudan, the first of which had been in November 2007.

The defence publisher concluded: "South Sudan is assembling an armour fleet, preparing for any eventuality in its enduring dispute with Khartoum."

While other mysteries surrounding the incident remain, it has been established that the owner of the Faina - which has had at least three previous names and is registered in Belize - is a Ukraine-based Israeli named Vadim Alperin.

He has links to Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency, and Mossad front companies in Kenya.

A photograph newly published on a US intelligence website shows Alperin meeting the Faina on arrival in Mombasa in February with the chief of Ukraine's foreign intelligence service, Mykola Malomuzh, by his side.

Note that Fred Bridgland saw fit not to name the US intelligence website from which he lifted information for his article. I wonder why hacks are so stingy with giving credit and links to other people's websites and writings.  Maybe they think readers are stupid. Some of us can spot their sticky fingers. It has taken me years to understand how news reports on Sudan originate enabling me to notice widespread plagiarism by professional reporters. Here's another thing, who is he to say 'South Sudan is certain to vote for independence from Sudan' without prefacing the line with words such as 'in my view'?  More on his dangerous writings in a postscript below.

The following photos and captions are from www.militaryphotos.net (12 Feb. 2009) and www.fresh.co.il  (13 Feb. 2009).  Sorry, name of original source, author of captions, photographer(s) were not published at the websites.



Photo: A US Navy helicopter patrols Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009, on the Mombasa coast, Kenya, awaiting for the Ukrainian ship Faina, which is expected to arrive at the Mombasa port Thursday accompanied by a U.S. warship. The seizure of the MV Faina loaded with Soviet-era tanks and other heavy weapons was one of the most brazen acts in a surge of pirate attacks on the shipping off the Somali coast. The ship was held by Somali pirates for more than four months. 



Photo: A Kenyan navy boat moves towards the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 Soviet-era T-72 tanks plus other weapons, near the port of Mombasa, 500 km (310 miles) from the capital Nairobi, February 12, 2009. The Ukrainian ship laden with tanks and freed by Somali pirates after a five-month hijack approached port in Kenya on Thursday with debate still ranging over ownership of the sensitive military cargo. 



Photo: Kenyans look at Ukrainian ship MV Faina, escorted by the Kenyan navy, as it arrives at the port of Mombasa, 500 km (310 miles) from the capital Nairobi, February 12, 2009. The Ukrainian ship laden with tanks and freed by Somali pirates after a five-month hijack approached port in Kenya on Thursday with debate still ranging over ownership of the sensitive military cargo. 



Photo: Crew members of the Ukrainian ship MV Faina shakes hands on arrival at the Kenyan coastal sea Port of Mombasa, some 500km from Nairobi, February 12, 2009. The Ukrainian ship laden with tanks and freed by Somali pirates after a five month hijack approached port in Kenya on Thursday with debate still ranging over ownership of the sensitive military cargo.



Photo: The chief of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Mykola Malomuzh, right, with the owner of the ship Faina, Vadim Alperin, left, stand on the dock after the ship docked at the Kenyan port of Mombasa Thursday, Feb.12, 2009. The Ukrainian cargo ship Faina which was hijacked by Somali pirates with its 20-man crew, and carrying tanks and other heavy weapons was released Thursday Feb. 5, 2009, after pirates received an airdropped ransom of $3.2 million. 



Photo: Crew members of the ship Faina that docked at the Kenyan port of Mombasa Thursday Feb. 12, 2009 stand for a minute silence for the captain of the vessel who died on the ship. The Ukrainian cargo ship Faina which was hijacked by Somali pirates with its 20-man crew, and carrying tanks and other heavy weapons was released Thursday Feb. 5, 2009, after pirates received an airdropped ransom of $3.2 million.  

Postscript
A few searches on Google reveal that Fred Bridgland has written articles published in The Times and The Scotsman.  I found this extract at www.coldtype.net:

Death In Africa
How a Revolutionary Leader Plotted to Kill His Deputy and His Family
By Fred Bridgland

EXCLUSIVE - A 50-Page e-book. Fred Bridgland, then a young Reuters correspondent, won his 15 minutes of fame in 1975 when he exclusively revealed the secret South African military invasion of Angola, backed by the CIA, MI6, the French Secret Service and Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda. Bridgland subsequently wrote a highly controversial biography of Jonas Savimbi, leader of an Angolan liberation movement and a friend of Che Guevara. Savimbi’s brilliant young deputy, Tito Chingunji, helped Bridgland research the book and became his closest African friend. But, after the book was published, Savimbi executed Chingunji, his wife and children, parents and his entire extended family. He also threatened Bridgland with death. ColdType’s 50-page essay is a treatment Bridgland has completed as a proposal for new book on his friend Chingunji’s murder and telling the true story of the madness that gripped Savimbi and his guerrilla movement.

Click on Faina label here below to view related reports and updates.

MV Faina cargo: 100 tanks were ordered by Government of South Sudan

Last February, Andrew Mwangura, a Kenyan pirate negotiator who receives no payment for his negotiating work, helped secure the release of a Ukrainian ship, MV Faina, hijacked off the coast of Somalia.  The ship was carrying Russian-made tanks and weapons. A ransom of $3.2m (£2m) was paid after months of negotiations.  The pirates had initially demanded more than tenfold that amount. At the time of the hijacking, Mr Mwangura was arrested for suggesting the arms on board were bound for South Sudan, something the Kenyan government denied.   

Mwangura, who heads the non-profit East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme which works to free ships held by Somali sea raiders, is set to be the subject of a Hollywood film.  Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L Jackson plans to star as Mwangura.  For sources and further details click on the label 'Faina' at the end of this blog post.

Now, here is another twist to the story.  According to the following report, 100 tanks were ordered by the Government of South Sudan (GOSS) and the MV Faina cargo was the last of three shipments of weapons bound for South Sudan.

From Jane's
IMINT tracks T-72 tanks towards South Sudan
By Lauren Gelfand and Allison Puccioni
07 July 2009

In September 2008 a Ukrainian-owned ship sailing towards the Kenyan port at Mombasa was hijacked off the coast of Somalia. The vessel, the MV Faina, captured public attention for its cargo: 33 T-72 main battle tanks (MBTs), weapons and ammunition and documents that identified the recipient as the government of South Sudan.

Officials confirmed to Jane's that the Faina cargo was the last of three shipments of weapons bound for the south. Published reports highlighted a previous shipment from Ukraine, which moved north in February 2008, comprising T-72s and assorted artillery, as well as a first shipment that had arrived in Mombasa in November 2007. In total, military and diplomatic sources confirmed to Jane's, 100 MBTs were ordered by South Sudan.

A 2005 agreement was meant to bring peace to the fractured nation; the reality, however, is a country still riven and fractured.

A ransom was paid to liberate the Faina in February and it arrived at Mombasa. The tanks were offloaded and transported to Kahawa barracks outside Nairobi, where they were to remain in the possession of the Kenyan military. Since March, however, eyewitness reports, some corroborated by photographic evidence, have placed the tanks elsewhere. At the same time, extensive construction has been ongoing at a military compound of the Sudan People's Liberation Army.

Jane's began an extensive satellite imagery canvass of the area in March, aiming to trace the movement of T-72s from Mombasa towards South Sudan. While the analysis does not conclude that the tanks aboard the Faina were in transit towards their ostensible rightful owners, it does show a pattern of tanks making their way north.



A first image captured by DigitalGlobe in March 2009 showed 33 tanks parked at Kahawa Barracks northeast of Nairobi (Source: Jane's - Image copyright DigitalGlobe Inc)

Hat tip: Rob Crilly, 18 July 2009 -- The Tanks That Won't Go Away



Photo: MV Faina, a hijacked Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks, is seen from a U.S. Navy ship in the Gulf of Aden, in this handout from the U.S. Navy, September 29, 2008. Three Somali pirates were killed in a shootout between rivals aboard a hijacked Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks, a maritime group monitoring the situation said on Tuesday. But the pirates denied any fighting on the MV Faina, seized six days ago in the most high-profile of a wave of hijackings off lawless Somalia this year. The pirates, under U.S. navy surveillance, are demanding a $20 million ransom. (Source:  Reuters/U.S. Navy-Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jason Zalasky/Handout (SOMALIA). FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. 

Click on Faina label here below to see related reports and latest updates.

Samuel L Jackson's company has secured the rights to the Kenyan pirate negotiator story

Earlier this year, Andrew Mwangura helped secured the release of a Ukrainian ship, MV Faina, which was carrying Russian-made tanks and weapons.

A ransom of $3.2m (£2m) was paid after months of painstaking negotiations, although the pirates had initially demanded more than tenfold that amount.

He was arrested at the time of the hijacking for suggesting the arms on board were bound for South Sudan, something the Kenyan government denied.

Source: BBC Tuesday, 12 May 2009:
Pirate 'hero' in Hollywood shock

A Kenyan pirate negotiator has told of his surprise that he is set to be the subject of a Hollywood film, but reckons he may be too busy to see it.

Andrew Mwangura heads the non-profit East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, which works to free ships held by Somali sea raiders.

Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L Jackson reportedly plans to star as the 47-year-old maritime consultant.

Somalia's pirate-plagued coast is the world's most perilous for shipping.

Variety magazine, often described as Hollywood's industry bible, reported last week Mr Jackson's Uppity Films and Andras Hamori's H20 Motion Pictures had secured the life rights to Mr Mwangura's story.

'Benefit of mankind'

Last year, Mr Hamori flew to Mombasa, Kenya, near where Mr Mwangura is based, to thrash out the deal with the former marine engineer.

How to pay a pirate's ransom?

Mr Hamori told Variety last week: "[Andrew] has the trust of the pirates and the ship owners, and his loyalty is to the kidnapped crews that get caught in the middle of these episodes."

Mr Mwangura, who receives no payment for his negotiating work, spoke to the BBC's Network Africa programme of his surprise at the Hollywood producer's visit.

"I told him: 'Why me? And why you flying all the way from America to Europe just to see me and then for only one day, then fly back?'" he said.

"They say it's because you're a hero, that's what they say. And I told them I'm not a hero... because what I'm doing, I'm doing for the benefit of mankind."

Mr Mwangura indicated he would probably have little time to visit the cinema when the film about his adventures hits the big screen.

"I have no time to enjoy life. I have no time for social activities," he said.

"I have no time to listen to music, most of the time I use reading and writing and travelling."

Samuel L Jackson is currently shooting Iron Man 2 and then will star with Michael Sheen in Unthinkable.

Earlier this year, Mr Mwangura helped secured the release of a Ukrainian ship, MV Faina, which was carrying Russian-made tanks and weapons.

A ransom of $3.2m (£2m) was paid after months of painstaking negotiations, although the pirates had initially demanded more than tenfold that amount.

He was arrested at the time of the hijacking for suggesting the arms on board were bound for South Sudan, something the Kenyan government denied.

Israeli owner of MV Faina pays $3.2m ransom - Its cargo destined for Darfur? JEM has received heavy military logistical support from Israel?

Pirates receive $3.2 m for Israeli ship
February 3, 2009 report from Press TV Iran:

The Israeli-owner of a Ukrainian-flagged arms-loaded ship held by Somali pirates pays 3.2 million dollars in return for the vessel's release.

The MV Faina and its crew-- 17 Ukrainians, three Russians and one Latvian national-were captured on September 25 in the notorious Somali waters.

The vessel was carrying with a cargo of 33 Soviet-type battle tanks, rocket launchers and ammunition, allegedly expected to reach rebels in the Sudanese violent Darfur region.

On Tuesday, a plane from South Africa carrying $ 3.2 million dropped the demanded ransom onto the Faina upon an agreement between the pirates and the ship's owner, Press TV correspondent reported.

The pirates said they will release the ship in a few hours, as soon as they count the sum and confirm there are no warships to hunt them.

The news comes after the Israeli owner of the vessel had earlier refused to hold talks with the bandits, who had repeatedly threatened the lives of the crew members unless they were paid a multi-million ransom.

The capture of the arms-laden ship four months ago triggered a controversy over the cargo's final destination.

The pirates' spokesman Sugule Ali said in October that the ship was originally destined for Sudan using the Kenyan port city of Mombasa as a stopover.

Sudan's state media also revealed the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Darfur's most powerful rebel group, has received considerably heavy military logistical support from Israel. MRS/DT

Last year, I followed this story closely and published several reports on the hijacking of MV Faina but this is the first time I've seen it said that MV Faina was Israeli owned and that its cargo was expected to reach rebels in Darfur. Rumours were that the cargo was destined for Southern Sudan. Interesting. Can it be true that JEM has received considerably heavy military logistical support from Israel? The world's media covered the MV Faina story and (unless I've missed something) nobody mentioned that the vessel was Israeli owned. After five years of the world's spotlight being put on Darfur, we still don't know what is going on in the secret world of the Darfur rebel leaders and their shadowy financiers. I wonder why.

UPDATE (5 minutes later)
I've just remembered this. See my blog Kenya Watch, October 08, 2008: A businessman from Odessa with an Israeli passport is the man behind Russian tanks shipment destined for Govt of South Sudan (GOSS) via Mombasa?

Also, see Sudan Watch - October 09, 2008: MV Faina cargo was for Ethiopia? NATO agrees to join anti-piracy operations off coast of Somalia: seven of its frigates will arrive within two weeks

Sudan Watch - October 31, 2008: Ukraine says military hardware carried by hijacked Ukrainian ship MV Faina had been officially sold to Kenya


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Somali pirates announce immediate release of Ukrainian ship
February 3, 2009 report from Xinhua (NAIROBI) Editor Yang Lina:

Somali pirates who have been holding a Ukrainian ship with military weapons on board have announced their intention to immediately release the ship along with its 20 crew members.

Andrew Mwangura, East Africa's Coordinator of Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) said the pirates may very soon release the MV Faina which was captured in September with its 20-man crew and a cargo of Soviet-era T-72 tanks.

"We have heard that the pirates are willing to release the ship.This may be possible because the pirates are in direct contacts with the ship owners," Mwangura told Xinhua by telephone on Tuesday.

The development came after Ukraine's foreign ministry urged theowner of the Faina vessel to publicly report on progress made in the talks to free the crew.

The Ukrainian ministry said the ship owner is in talks with the pirates and is informed of the details of the negotiations.

The MV Faina is currently moored off Somalia's coast close to the town of Hobyo. There have been conflicting reports of where the Faina and its cargo were destined.

Kenya has insisted that the shipment was destined for its military. But regional diplomats said it was bound for the autonomous government of south Sudan, in possible contravention ofa peace accord.

The waters off the Somali coast are considered to be some of the world's most dangerous. Pirates have hijacked several ships last year and attacked many more.

Most attacks have been in the Gulf of Aden between Yemen and north Somalia, a major route leading to the Suez Canal linking Europe and Asia.

Click on Faina label here below to view related reports and updates.

Ukraine says military hardware carried by hijacked Ukrainian ship MV Faina had been officially sold to Kenya (Update 1)

Photo: The seized vessel MV Faina is staying in the port of Hobyo, 500 kilometers northeast of the Somali capital Mogadishu. (Itar-Tass)

Friday, 31 October 2008 (Itar-Tass) report - Faina owner doing utmost to agree on ship and crew’s release - excerpt:

The owner of the Ukrainian ship Faina and an intermediary are doing their best to agree with Somali pirates on the release of the ship and the crew, the ship owner said on Friday.

NATO warships have encircled the Faina. The alliance command said it would not permit to bring the weaponry from the ship to the shore, where Islamic armed units were fighting against the Somali government.

The destination of the weaponry is still in question. Kenya said it had purchased the tanks and other armaments but refused to pay the ransom because the delivery had been incomplete. The Kenyan government said that the owners of the weaponry and the ship must hold negotiations with the assailants. There is also information that the weapons were routed to South Sudan.

Ukrainian First Vice-Premier Alexander Turchinov told a press conference on October 3 that the military hardware carried by the Faina ship had been officially sold to Kenya.

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In the face of Somali piracy, all eyes on Kenya army



Photo: The MV Faina. (Reuters/U.S. Navy Handout) Source:  Friday, October 31 2008 (www.nation.co.ke)report by Dominic Wabala - In the face of Somali piracy, all eyes on Kenya army - excerpt:

The Department of Defence (DoD) spokesman Bogita Ongeri told the Saturday Nation that because the ship was in international waters, the Kenyan navy was not obliged to rescue it.

“In such an incident where the ship is in international waters, Kenya can only collaborate with other countries who have interests in the area. We are fully involved in the anti-piracy operations in conjunction with other concerned countries but can only act within the law,” Mr Ongeri said.

However, analysts say that if the weapons aboard the MV Faina fell into the hands of insurgents, it could tip the balance of power in the war-wrecked country - and create havoc at the Kenya-Somalia border.

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Previous reports

Oct 09, 2008 Sudan Watch: MV Faina cargo was for Ethiopia? NATO agrees to join anti-piracy operations off coast of Somalia: seven of its frigates will arrive within two weeks.

Oct 02, 2008 Sudan Watch: US warships surround Ukrainian ship hijacked nr Somalia: Cargo for Sudan - Moscow sends warship - Germany joins EU forces - Kenyan official arrested.
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UPDATE - Nov 08, 2008:

GOSS = Government of South Sudan?



Photo: Freight manifest (bill of laden) from the Ukrainian ship MV Faina. Contract numbers on the manifest include the initials GOSS, thought to stand for government of South Sudan. (BBC report October 7, 2008 - Hijacked tanks 'for South Sudan')

See Rob Crilly's African Safari blog post at From The Frontline 8 November 2008 - Britain, Leaks and those Awkward Tanks

UN inspectors uncover plane-load of Ethiopian weapons at Juba Airport, S. Sudan - Pirates still holding shipload of Russian tanks destined for GOSS

According to Gulf News today, Wednesday, 15 October 2008, UN inspectors said that an Ethiopian DC130 cargo plane, carrying 40 tonnes of ammunition and light armaments, was seized at Juba Airport, South Sudan for illegal trade in arms. Reuters says it happened on Friday, October 10.

Also today, the Scotsman reported that American warships continue to monitor the hijacked vessel MV Faina which is anchored near the Somali port of Hobyo.

The Ukrainian ship, carrying 33 Russian tanks, is still being held by pirates demanding an $8m (BBC and The Scotsman say $20m) ransom. Associated Press reported that on Tuesday before last, various news reports said that the demand had dropped from $20 to $8 million.

On Friday, 10 October 2008, several news reports said that the pirates threatened to blow it all up, themselves included, by Monday, October 13, if an $8m ransom was not paid within three days. Today, the Scotsman says the US navy said the deadline passed without incident.

BBC says Kieve is being urged to pay ransom and relatives say they will try to raise the ransom money themselves.

Sources: Selection of news reports, featured here below. Also, see previous reports re hijacked Ukrainian ship: Sudan Watch Thursday, 9 October 2008 - MV Faina cargo was for Ethiopia? NATO agrees to join anti-piracy operations off coast of Somalia: seven of its frigates will arrive within two weeks
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Snapshot of Google's newsreel re $8m ransom:

Somali pirates release Iranian ship
Persian Journal, Iran - Oct 10, 2008
... demanded a $20 million ransom, but reports Tuesday said the demand had dropped to $8 million. A half-dozen US Navy warships have surrounded the MV Faina.

Somalia:Pirates deny talks with owners to release Ukranian ship
Mareeg, UK - Oct 10, 2008
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 ...

US navy continues to monitor hijacked vessel
The Mercury (subscription), South Africa - Oct 9, 2008
Lt Nathan Christensen, a spokesman from the United States fifth fleet in Bahrain, said that the navy was in regular contact with the crew of the MV Faina. ...

UN calls for action to fight pirates off Somalia
The Associated Press - Oct 9, 2008
... but reports Tuesday said the demand had dropped to $8 million. A half-dozen US Navy warships have surrounded the MV Faina. The resolution only applies ...

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Pirates threaten to blow up MV Faina unless ransom was paid by Monday night - US navy said the deadline passed without incident - Pirates still holding shipload of Russian tanks destined for GOSS

From BBC Tuesday, 14 October 2008 -
Kiev urged to pay pirate ransom:

Relatives of crew members on a seized Ukrainian ship have urged Ukraine to pay a multi-million ransom to pirates holding the vessel off Somalia's coast. The relatives held a rally in Kiev, accusing the authorities of inaction in the crisis, which began last month. The Somali pirates earlier said they would blow up the MV Faina, which has a cargo of tanks, unless a $20m (£12m) ransom was paid by Monday night. A pirate spokesman later said the deadline may be extended [following requests from the ship's owner and other officials].

From The Scotsman Wednesday, 15 October 2008 by Mohamed Sheikh Nor -
Troops free ship's crew in a blow for pirates:

"...the US navy said the deadline passed without incident. Relatives of the crew members demanded on Monday that the Ukrainian government stop delaying and just pay the ransom. Ukraine's government says it opposes the use of force against the pirates, but as a matter of policy it will not negotiate with terrorists. American warships continue to monitor the Faina, which is anchored near the Somali port of Hobyo. Nato ministers have agreed to send seven ships to the area within two weeks.

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UN inspectors uncover plane-load of Ethiopian weapons at Juba Airport, South Sudan

From Gulf News Wednesday, 15 October 2008 by Duraid Al Baik -
Arms smuggling worries Sudan:

The Sudanese Government is in a state of shock following the accidental discovery of two consignments of arms that were allegedly on its way to the southern army.

The sensitivity of the issue stems from the fact that the fragile truce between North and South Sudan might collapse if the allegation proves true, a source from the Information and Communication Ministry told Gulf News on Tuesday.

The first consignment of 35 Russian tanks and artillery guns was intercepted by Somali pirates when they hijacked an Ukrainian ship off the coast of Somalia. The pirates said that the consignment, purchased by Kenya, was on its way to the south of Sudan.

The second incident of illegal armament was uncovered by the UN inspectors who said that an Ethiopian DC130 cargo plane, which was carrying 40 tonnes of ammunition and light armaments, was seized at the Juba Airport in the south for illegal trade in arms.

The UN inspectors who are entrusted with the enforcement of the 2005 peace treaty informed the Sudanese government, earlier this week, about the consignment and called the authority in Khartoum to take action.

Bakri Al Mulah, Secretary General of the Exterior Information Council in Khartoum, said the government is willing to find a peaceful end to the two arm smuggling cases before they snowball into a major crisis and sweep the 2005 peace treaty away.

"The ministry of foreign affairs is collecting information about the two consignments for which the ambassadors of both Kenya and Ethiopia were summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to explain Khartoum's concerns about the two incidents," Al Mulah told Gulf News.

Meanwhile, Kenya denied the accusation of the Somali pirates and said the tanks were meant for Kenya and not for the Southern Sudan army. Ali Abdo, Ethiopia's ambassador to Sudan told reporters in Khartoum that the load of the DC130 is part of commercial goods which was meant to be put on display at a local trade exhibition to be held in Juba.

The two ambassadors were summoned by Sudan's foreign ministry on Monday and were asked to come up with a written statement from their governments.

Mohey Deen Jebril, a political analyst in Khartoum, told Gulf News that the National Congress Party is concerned about a series of violations committed by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement Army, a partner of the ruling coalition government.

"Under the peace treaty signed by South and North Sudan in 2005, which ended a two-decade civil war, both sides are not allowed to upgrade their army in the ceasefire zones without the approval of the other partner," he said.

Assessing

Jebril said Khartoum is assessing what it can do with its southern partner and with its neighbours who seems to have helped the southern army to violate the peace treaty.

"Sudanese in the North could not trust the referendum on unity to be held in 2011 as it would not reflect the free choice of people in the south, as its partner is not sincere," he added.

The ambassadors of both Kenya and Ethiopia were summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to explain Khartoum's concerns.

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From BBC News Tuesday, 14 October 2008 -
Sudan summons envoys over weapons

Sudan has summoned the ambassadors of Kenya and Ethiopia over what it says are illegal deliveries of weapons to the country's semi-autonomous south.

The summons came after Somali pirates seized a Ukrainian ship last month carrying 33 tanks bought by Kenya.

The cargo's manifest appeared to show the tanks were destined for South Sudan, though Kenya has denied this.

Sudan's Suna news agency said the foreign ministry also complained about a plane-load of weapons from Ethiopia.

The weapons had arrived in the South Sudanese capital of Juba on Friday, Suna said.

But officials from Ethiopia and the southern Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) said the weapons were meant for a previously planned trade fair.

'Violations'

Under the terms of a 2005 peace agreement that ended more than two decades of civil war, any build-up of military equipment has to be approved by a north-south Joint Defence Board.

Suna said that "against the backdrop" of the arms deliveries, the foreign ministry had asked the ambassadors to "inform their governments of its protest at these violations".

Authorities in northern and southern Sudan are reported to be building up their forces ahead of a referendum on independence for the South in 2011.

Ethiopia's Consul General Negash Legesse told Reuters news agency that some weapons from the Ethiopian delivery had been taken to the SPLA for inspection.

"They are samples," he said. "Some Kalashnikovs. Some others that Ethiopia is producing."

The manifest for the delivery of tanks obtained by the BBC carried the letters "GOSS", widely used to mean the Government Of South Sudan.

Diplomatic sources have also said the cargo - still being held off the Somali coast - was to be delivered to South Sudan. But Kenya's foreign minister said it meant General Ordinance Supplies and Security, and that this was a code for the department of defence.

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From Reuters Tuesday, 14 October 2008, by Andrew Heavens in Khartoum -
Sudan summons Kenyan, Ethiopian envoys over arms:

Sudan summoned the Kenyan and Ethiopian ambassadors on Monday to protest against what it said were illegal shipments of arms to its semi-autonomous south, state media reported.

Khartoum was protesting over "violations" linked to an arms shipment seized by pirates off Somalia's coast that Western diplomats said was bound for south Sudan, and a plane-load of weapons from Addis Ababa, state news agency SUNA reported.

SUNA stopped short of accusing Ethiopia and Kenya of directly supplying the arms to south Sudan, which won its own government and the right to its own army in a 2005 peace deal with Khartoum that ended a two-decade civil war.

But it said that "against the backdrop" of the two shipments, the foreign ministry asked both envoys to "inform their governments of its protest at these violations".

A senior official of the south's Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), speaking on condition of anonymity, denied that the south was buying any new equipment from Ethiopia, Kenya or any other country. "We don't have the resources," he told Reuters.

Khartoum's move raised the heat in a row over the shipment of 33 T-72 tanks and other weapons seized by pirates last month off Somalia that western diplomats said were secretly heading for south Sudan in possible breach of the peace agreement.

The pirates, who are still holding the cargo, said paperwork showed the tanks were heading to south Sudan through Kenya's port of Mombasa. South Sudan has denied ordering the tanks and Kenya has insisted the machines were meant for its own army.

MILITARY PLANE

Sudan's foreign ministry also protested about unspecified weapons that it said had arrived in south Sudan's capital Juba on Friday on an Ethiopian military plane, SUNA said.

Southern officials and army officers on Monday denied the weapons were part of an arms delivery and told Reuters they had been brought in as exhibits in a long-planned trade fair.

The SPLA's Lieutenant General Biar Ajang said that rumours of an Ethiopian delivery of armaments were "confused".

"They are coming to show local products, tents, uniforms, armaments, shells ... like a shop," he said.

Ethiopia's Consul General Negash Legesse told Reuters some of the weapons had been taken to SPLA headquarters for inspection. "They are samples. Some Kalashnikovs. Some others that Ethiopia is producing," he said.

Sudan's foreign ministry said it was surprised at the shipments as both Kenya and Ethiopia had backed the 2005 peace deal that ended the civil war between north and south Sudan, SUNA said.

There are currently no global arms embargoes banning south Sudan from buying arms or supplying the SPLA.

But the terms of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement ban both the north and the south from building up arms without the approval of a north-south Joint Military Board.

Activists have repeatedly accused the north of also re-arming, and of breaching the terms of a U.N. arms embargo covering the warring parties in the separate Darfur conflict.

Sudan Watch Ed: Check out the report's photo of Sudanese President Al-Bashir. Here in the UK, the sticking up of two fingers in such a way says: F-off (In America, although I can't think why, I seem to recall it being referred to as "flipping the bird"*). However, fingers pointing in such a way, but with palm facing outwards signifies: Peace - or, if held higher: Victory. Being a Brit, Andrew Heavens would have chuckled at seeing a photo of Sudan's president saying F-off! Heh. Unfortunately, I can't publish photos at the moment as I am on temporary dial-up while awaiting switchover to broadband. I'll keep the gem of a photo for posting at a later date. Now, if only I could find a photo of Sudanese rebel leaders sticking up two fingers, I could produce a montage of them all sticking their fingers up at each other - and at the peacekeepers and defenceless women and children of Sudan...
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Peace balls

Note Andrew Heavens' blogpost at Meskel Square 22 September 2008 - Peace balls: "Next stop Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo".
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Beware of "thumbs up" gesture

*Correction: I've just remembered: Americans stick middle finger up only, palm inwards. Maybe the two fingered sign is only a British thing?

Update: I've just looked it up at Wikipedia - check out flipping the bird and the Middle-Eastern equivalent - gulp, it's the Western thumbs up sign for great, OK!

MV Faina cargo was for Ethiopia? NATO agrees to join anti-piracy operations off coast of Somalia: seven of its frigates will arrive within two weeks

Washington accuses Asmara of supporting "terrorist groups" in Somalia. Eritrea slams US over arms ban. NATO agrees to join anti-piracy operations off coast of Somalia, seven of its frigates will arrive within two weeks. MV Faina's cargo in Somalia destined for Ethiopian army? Details in the following reports.

Aljazeera report, October 09, 2008 - Nato joins Somalia piracy fight - excerpt:

"There will soon be Nato military vessels off the coast of Somalia, deterring piracy and escorting food ships," James Appathura, Nato's chief spokesman, said on Thursday.

"Piracy is a serious problem for shipping in that area. It is also an immediate threat to the lives of the people in Somalia," he said.

Nato said the seven frigates from a group that was to have taken part in an exercise in the Suez Canal region would arrive off the Somali coast within two weeks in response to a request from the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

The force, which currently consists of destroyers from Italy and the United States, frigates from Germany, Greece, Turkey and Britain and a German auxiliary vessel, will stay in the region until at least December.

MV Faina standoff

Six US warships have already been deployed in the area and have surrounded the Ukrainian MV Faina amid fears that its weapons, including 33 battle tanks, might fall into the hands of armed groups in Somalia.

However, a spokesman for the pirates has said that the vessel, which has 20 crew members on board, could be released within days if the $8m ransom was paid.

"We are open for give-and-take negotiations," Sugule Ali, a spokesman for the pirates, told The Associated Press news agency.

He also said that the Faina's crew were holding up well despite their ordeal.

"Their chef still prepares their food for them," Ali said. "They are healthy and have no worries. But of course their only worry is when they will gain their freedom. Their feeling is typically that of hostages - no more, no less."

Lieutenant Nathan Christensen, a spokesman from the US 5th Fleet in Bahrain, said the navy was in regular contact with the crew and would not allow the pirates to offload the weapons.

Mark Caltar, a piracy expert and operations director of Olton Solutions, told Al Jazeera that the payment of any ransom would be a win for the pirates and a loss for the United Nations.

"What we have here is an epidemic, a plague of piracy," he said. "If people ... see that the pirates around Somalia can get away with this now, and six US warships are hanging around doing absolutely nothing, then you are encouraging piracy on a global status."

The United Nations Security Council earlier this week called on countries to send naval vessels and military aircraft to support anti-piracy efforts.

The call came after European Union countries said they would launch an anti-piracy patrol, and Russia announced it would co-operate with the West in fighting the pirates. 

Somalia's transitional government, which is under pressure from near-daily attacks by armed opposition groups, has given foreign powers the freedom to use force against the pirates. [end of report]

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Hijacked arms cargo in Somalia destined for Ethiopian army?

The following report excerpts suggest that the hijacked Ukrainian vessel MV Faina and its cargo may end up being destroyed, and that the cargo could have been destined for Ethiopia.

September 30, 2008 (pr-inside.com) report by Shuun Isaaq - Hijacked arms cargo in Somalia destined for Ethiopian army - excerpts:

Recent unflattering international reports of a Ukrainian cargo ship hijacked by militias loyal to the current parachutist government of "Somalia" from the region formerly known as Majertenia and now dubbed as "Pirate (Puntland) State of Zoomalia" reminds Somalis of the dangers which encircle them on a daily basis.

What the firestorms of speculations by media collusively failed to investigate is the correct destination of weapons bought "legitimately" from Ukraine through Ukrainian weapons brokers. Although first major reports claimed the purchase was made by South Sudan rebels, or by the Khartoum government. More recent analysis by Somali experts is growing intensely and may lead to the eventual destruction of the ship along with its cargo. [cut]

Speaking from London, a former manager of a major Kenyan haulage company from Mombassa Samir Yasin ridiculed accusations of South Sudan connections. Revelations were made this week that such cargo to be heading to South Sudan prompting the SPLA to strongly deny such claims. SPLA may have used Ukrainians based in Dubai to broker and drop light weapons such as grenades and assault rifles by air. However, never to delver a huge consignment of tanks and modern Russian ammunitions by cargo ship specially through mainland Kenya.

The same media quickly ran errands this time provoking the Kenyan army and the East Africa division lately built by America to fight against an apparent "terror networks" in the horn of Africa. They also distanced themselves from this consignment, although they confirm the ships destination to had been Mombassa. This leaves the main culprit Ethiopia, as the sole destination of reported weaponry since it is not common sense to deliver to the Khartoum government using the Indian Ocean.

Hat tip: Ethiopia - Topix.net, October 06, 2008
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Eritrea slams US over arms ban

Washington announced the ban on Monday, accusing Asmara of supporting "terrorist groups" in Somalia.

Source: Mail & Guardian Online - ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA Oct 08 2008 - Eritrea slams US over arms ban

Hat tip: Ethiopia - Topix.net, October 08, 2008
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Related report

October 08, 2008 - Sudan Watch:
A businessman from Odessa with an Israeli passport is the man behind Russian tanks shipment destined for Govt of South Sudan (GOSS) via Mombasa?
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[Cross posted today, Oct 09, 2008 at sister site Ethiopia Watch]

A businessman from Odessa with an Israeli passport is the man behind Russian tanks shipment destined for Govt of South Sudan (GOSS) via Mombasa?

Nina Karpacheva, the ombudswoman for Ukrainian parliament claims that the man behind the Russian tanks deal (the tanks that are still onboard the hijacked Ukrainian ship, MV Faina, off the coast of Somalia - see latest news here below) is Vadim A., a businessman from Odessa with an Israeli passport.

Source: Der Speigel special report Monday, 06 October 2008 - Investigating the Faina - Looking for the Good Guys off the Somali Coast - By Clemens Höges, Uwe Klussmann and Horand Knaup; Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan
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The pirates have lowered the ransom from $20 million to $8 million

Today, Wednesday 08 October 2008, the pirates still hold Ukrainian Faina.

Yesterday, they lowered the ransom from $20 million to $8 million.

According to the freight manifest, Kenya’s government made the contract on behalf of South Sudan. Kenya that has always reiterated that the weapons on board are for its army is just the receiver of cargo.

Source: Kommersant, Wednesday 08 Oct 2008 - Ukrainian Tanks on Faina Destined for S. Sudan
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Photo of freight manifest

Click here for BBC report showing map of Mombasa/Kenya/South Sudan, and photo of the freight manifest proving that the weapons onboard the MV Faina were destined for South Sudan?

Also, note that the BBC's report highlights this quote: "If you want peace you have to prepare for war" - SPLM source.

Source: BBC News report, Tuesday 07 October 2008 - Pirates reveal Sudan's precarious peace - By Amber Henshaw, BBC News, Khartoum
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Sudan's Government of South Sudan (GOSS) or Kenya's General Ordnance Supply and Security (GOSS)?

Yesterday, Tuesday 07 October 2008, Kenya once again denied the shipment was for South Sudan, claiming that its acronym "GOSS" on the freight manifest stood for Kenya's General Ordnance Supply and Security (GOSS) and not Government of South Sudan (GOSS).

See AFP report via thetimes.co.za, Wednesday 08 Oct 2008 - Kenya denies cargo is for Sudan - excerpt:

Kenya’s foreign minister denied a cargo manifest produced by the BBC was evidence that military hardware seized by Somali pirates last month was destined for southern Sudan.

Moses Wetangula said the initials GOSS, a commonly used acronym for the government of South Sudan, included in the contract number had been misinterpreted, and is in fact a code used by Kenya’s defence ministry.

"I have personally seen the bill of lading that is posted on the BBC website, and it is purely speculative," Wetangula told reporters after a meeting with Somali Foreign Minister Ali Jama Jangeli.

"That is the correct document but it was misinterpreted. The initials shown in that cargo manifest do not in any way show that the military cargo was destined for Southern Sudan," he said.

"This is our cargo, it is purely Kenyan. The initials shown as GOSS are misinterpreted to mean government of South Sudan," Wetangula said.

"I have been advised, and this is the government’s position, that it means General Ordnance Supply and Security. That is a code that is used by our department of defence," he explained.

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Toxic waste and possibly even nuclear waste is being dumped in the ocean off Somalia

Excerpt from Der Speigel's special report Monday, 06 October 2008 - Investigating the Faina - Looking for the Good Guys off the Somali Coast - By Clemens Höges, Uwe Klussmann and Horand Knaup; Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan:

The trail of this special freighter, which has had various names -- the Marabou, the Loverval and the Matina -- can be found in the databases of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Ukrainian ship is registered in Belize, but the official owner, a company called Waterlux AG, is registered in Panama. But the IMO lacks even a letterbox address for Waterlux. All it has is the address of a supposed subsidiary in Ukraine called Tomex. Tomex does exist, and its offices are in an elegant building in Odessa, but no one there is willing to discuss the Faina.

All of this secretiveness would be unnecessary if the deal involving the Faina had been normal. However, the excessive caution would make sense if what Nina Karpacheva, the ombudswoman for the Ukrainian parliament, says is true. Karpacheva claims that the man behind the deal is Vadim A., a businessman from Odessa with an Israeli passport, excellent contacts within the government bureaucracy and an unsavory reputation as a juggler of businesses.

Both Karpacheva and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko are calling for an investigation of the Faina affair. The fact that Tymoshenko has become involved is, perhaps, not surprising. She has long been engaged in political battle with President Viktor Yushchenko, whose supporters in the Ukrainian intelligence service, the SBU, have long lined their pockets by selling off the remains of the former Soviet arsenal throughout the world.

The Faina case could also prove to be an international embarrassment for Ukraine in other ways as well. Russia, its more powerful neighbor, has sent the frigate Neutrashimy ("The Fearless") toward Somalia because Ukraine has no ships suitable for such a mission. If the Russians can free the sailors and restore calm to the Horn of Africa, they will have managed to polish up their image in the wake of their invasion of Georgia, as well as to demonstrate who is in charge at home, in a realm that was once the Soviet Union.

Unscrupulous Dealmakers

The Neutrashimy is likely to face off against thousands of pirates. In addition to Sugule Ali's boats, there are at least four other large groups operating along the Horn of Africa: a band of gangsters called the Somali Marines, a group calling itself the National Volunteer Coastguard, and the Puntland Group and Marka Group.

The pirate gangs can do as they wish along the coast of Somalia, which descended into chaos and civil war after the dictator Siad Barre was overthrown in 1991. Since then, unscrupulous dealmakers from Europe and the rest of the world have taken advantage of the vacuum. Some are dumping toxic waste and possibly even nuclear waste in the ocean off Somalia. Others are illegally exploiting the Somalis' fishing grounds. Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the United Nations Special Envoy for Somalia, calls it "a disaster for Somalia's coast, the environment and the population." In the beginning, angry Somali fishermen wielding Kalashnikovs took matters into their own hands and drove away the foreign fishing boats.

In the process, some of them apparently noticed how easy it was to attack ships, and they soon made a business of it. Using the ransom money, they bought themselves mansions, SUVs, better boats and weapons. But the hijacking and ransacking of ships off the Somali coast could soon come to an end.

Spurred to action by the attack on the Faina, the defense ministers of the EU agreed last Wednesday to a launch a joint military intervention. Under the plan three EU warships, one of them from Germany, will patrol off the coast of Somalia beginning in December. American and Russian ships will likely join them. This concerted response will likely deter many pirates. The Strait of Malacca off the Malaysian coast, once considered extremely dangerous, became virtually pirate-free after a similar alliance was formed and resolute military intervention began.

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RELATED SPIEGEL ONLINE LINKS:

Photo Gallery: Somali Pirates Go Overboard
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-35894.html

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden: German Shipowner Paid Ransom to Somali Pirates (09/16/2008)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,578495,00.html

A Pirate Amendment?: Berlin Looks at Ways to Battle Somali Kidnappers (06/26/2008)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,562204,00.html
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Other related reports

Click here to scroll though Sudan Watch entries re above pirates, starting with most recent on Friday, October 03, 2008, entitled: Arrr! Somali pirate captain aboard hijacked Ukrainian ship says: "Whoever attacks, we will defend ourselves"

{Also published at this site's sister blog Kenya Watch]

See Kenya Watch - Friday, 3 October 2008 - Who really owns the hijacked battle tanks?

Arrr! Somali pirate captain aboard hijacked Ukrainian ship says: "Whoever attacks, we will defend ourselves"

"We hijack every ship we can," Sugule Ali, a pirate captain, told TIME by satellite phone this week.

The MV Faina fitted the bill. Slow, low-sided and sailing under a Belize flag, the freighter seemed no different from any of the 60 other ships attacked by pirates this year in the same waters. And Ali and his men had no reason to believe the outcome of this hijacking would be any different.

But the Faina's cargo surprised Ali and his men and sent alarm bells ringing around the world — the unprepossessing freighter was carrying 33 Russian T-72 tanks and a host of other armaments that had originated in Ukraine. By the end of this week, U.S. frigates and a Russian warship were bearing down on the pirates, the European Union had decided to launch a multinational antipiracy patrol, and Ukraine and Kenya found themselves embroiled in an arms scandal.

On Thursday, 02 October 2008, French Defense Minister Herve Morin announced that at least eight European countries had agreed to contribute to an international naval antipiracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden, in addition to the U.S. and Russian naval presence already there.

Faced with such overwhelming force, Ali said his men would fight to the last. "If someone attacks you in your home, you need to defend yourself," he said. "Whatever weapons they have, you must fight. A person in his home cannot be afraid. Whoever attacks, we will defend ourselves."

Source: Time report by Alex Perry with reporting by Abdiaziz Hassan Ahmed Dhoore/Nairobi Friday, 03 October 2008 - Arrr! The Somali Pirates and Their Troublesome Treasure
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Previous reports

Sudan Watch Thursday, October 02, 2008 - US warships surround Ukrainian ship hijacked nr Somalia: Cargo for Sudan - Moscow sends warship - Germany joins EU forces - Kenyan official arrested

Sudan Watch Friday, October 03, 2008 - Three killed in pirates' shoot-out aboard Russian arms ship - UK to attack al-Qaeda pirates
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See Sudan Watch Update - Thursday, October 09, 2008 : MV Faina cargo was for Ethiopia? NATO agrees to join anti-piracy operations off coast of Somalia: seven of its frigates will arrive within two weeks

Three killed in pirates' shoot-out aboard Russian arms ship - UK to attack al-Qaeda pirates

The pirates who seized a ship carrying military hardware off Somalia turned on each other yesterday as three were shot dead in a dispute over what to do with their hijacked cargo.

For a third day yesterday the pirates on the Ukrainian vessel - anchored a few miles offshore - remained cornered by several warships from a US-led task force patrolling off Somalia.

Source: 01 October 2008 Financial Times report by Barney Jopson in Nairobi and Robert Wright in London - Pirates in shoot-out aboard arms ship. Excerpts:

"We are covering 2.5m square miles of water. Policing all of it would take more ships than we could ever get," said Commodore Keith Winstanley, deputy commander of coalition naval forces in the Middle East. "We're not going to solve the problem. No naval force is going to solve it. The root cause of this problem rests ashore in Somalia."

Piracy was stamped out in 2006 by the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamist group that restored a semblance of order. The group was ousted by Ethiopian troops, with US backing, but the Islamists were not eliminated and, in recent months, have retaken some territory.

Possible links between pirates and the Islamists drove the United Nations' naval response to the hijacking of the Ukrainian ship.

Andrew Mwangura, of the East Africa Seafarers' Assistance Programme, which monitors piracy, said: "Some of the pirates are paranoid about the presence of the US navy. Among them there are moderates and radicals: some who want to unload the cargo and some who don't; some who want to abort the mission and some who don't."

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Related reports

Sudan Watch Thursday, October 02, 2008 - US warships surround Ukrainian ship hijacked nr Somalia: Cargo for Sudan - Moscow sends warship - Germany joins EU forces - Kenyan official arrested

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UK to attack al-Qaeda pirates

The Royal Navy is hoping to crack down on pirate activity off the Horn of Africa. Al-Qaeda is said to dominate the lucrative trade.

Source: Daily Telegraph report by Damien McElroy 06 December 2007 - UK to attack al-Qa'eda pirates. Copy:

Britain has launched a drive for an international accord granting the Royal Navy and Western warships rights to enter Somali territorial waters in pursuit of pirate gangs linked to al-Qa’eda.

Pirate activity has soared off the Horn of Africa this year with the emergence of highly sophisticated gangs that use fast patrol boats, launched from “mother ships” to board cargo vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

The lucrative multi-million-dollar kidnap and ransom trade, which is dominated by al-Qa’eda, according to terrorism experts, threatens to disrupt international shipping lanes used to carry cargo from the Far East to Europe.

A meeting in London of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the United Nations’ watchdog of the seas, is to consider a resolution today instructing Somalia’s interim government to drop its legal right to block foreign navies from entering its waters.

A declaration would pave the way for Royal Navy vessels to rescue ships held for ransom in Somali coves or pursue pirates involved in attacks on ships in international waters.

A spokesman for the regional naval command in Bahrain said that passage of the IMO resolution would be an important step to “help deter piracy off the coast of Somalia”.

There have been 26 attacks or attempted boardings by pirates so far this year, up from a handful in 2006. Somalia has been plagued by civil war. It has seen a succession of weak, temporary administrations run by warlords or hard-line Islamic factions sympathetic to al-Qa’eda, unrecognised by the international community and with little remit on the coastline.

Pirates used the haven provided by Somalia’s lack of leadership to defy 46 warships from 20 countries in the international coalition centred around America’s Bahrain-based 5th fleet.

“Piracy has become a lucrative business based on ransom demands and cargo theft inside Somali territory,” said Cdre Keith Winstanley, the deputy commander of the coalition. “It has not been possible to suppress it because vessels pirated, sometimes a long way off the coast, are held somewhere in the vicinity of the Somali coast.”

It is a murky situation and even the figure of 26 reported incidents is thought to vastly underestimate the extent of the problem.

While vast sums of money are involved - ransoms can exceed £500,000 — Cdre Winstanley said that official concern had been expressed over intelligence reports that little of the money filtered down to the Somali regions.

“Piracy and terrorism is a difficult picture to build,” he said. “The extent of money diverted to terrorism is not known, but I don’t see evidence that the money is going into houses, schools and jobs onshore.”
Complicating the picture for the navies involved is a human wave of refugees on the move out of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that 200,000 have fled fighting in the last month, many of whom are ready to pay $150 (£75) to be smuggled across the Gulf of Aden.

“It’s very seasonal, depending on the trade winds, but right now conditions are very favourable,” said Peter Kessler, a spokesman for UNHCR.

“These vessels loaded with people cross the trade route but don’t even dock in the harbours. They unload the passengers at sea.”

The crowded waters are an ideal haven for al-Qa’eda operatives crossing between training camps on both sides of the Gulf.

“The scale of the threat has changed since the physical penetration of the region by al-Qa’eda,” said Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Nanyang Technology University in Singapore. “With large Somali communities in Europe, it is critically important that those on the move through this area are visible to Western intelligence.”

David Nordell, the chief executive of New Global Markets, a specialist consultancy on terrorist financing, said: “Terror in piracy is ultimately aimed at building up to offences like the next USS Cole [a suicide attack off Yemen in 2000] or hitting an oil tanker.”

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See Sudan Watch Update - Thursday, October 09, 2008 : MV Faina cargo was for Ethiopia? NATO agrees to join anti-piracy operations off coast of Somalia: seven of its frigates will arrive within two weeks