US surrounds hijacked cargo ship off Somali coast
Fears vessel could pose terrorist threat
NAIROBI - As additional US warships and helicopters gathered around a hijacked Ukrainian ship off the coast of Somalia yesterday, questions persisted about where the vessel's military cargo was destined and whether it posed a terrorist threat.
Some US officials fear the cargo aboard the MV Faina, which was seized by pirates Thursday, could end up in the hands of Al Qaeda-linked militants in Somalia if the pirates are allowed to escape. Somalia is seen as a key battleground in the war on terrorism in the region, which includes the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
The governments of Kenya and Ukraine say the shipment of 33 Russian-built T-72 tanks, ammunition, and spare parts was part of a legal sale contracted last year to supply the Kenyan Army, according to representatives of both nations.
But US officials, arms analysts, and maritime officials say the more likely original destination was southern Sudan, where the former rebel group Sudan
"We received reports that the cargo was intended for Sudan, so obviously our goal is to maintain watch over the ship while negotiations are taking place," said Lieutenant Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the US Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.
Christensen said several US destroyers and cruisers had surrounded the hijacked vessel yesterday, but no further actions were planned. He declined to say exactly how many other Navy ships had joined the USS Howard, a guided-missile destroyer.
The US ships have been deployed within 10 miles of the hijacked vessel and helicopters were circling overhead, Christensen said. He said the ships would remain there while negotiations were continuing between the pirates and the shipping country.
The pirates said yesterday that they are seeking $20 million for the release of the cargo and 20 hostages, according to Sugale Ali Omar Omar, who identified himself as one of the hijackers. He said by telephone that US ships were positioned about a mile away and aircraft were flying low over the ship.
One crew member has died from a suspected heart attack, but the remaining 20 are safe, he said.
"We are ready if the foreign warships attack us," he said. "If they fire on us, we will open what we have on them."
Mark Bellamy, senior fellow in the Africa program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the pirates "are more interested in the money than disposing of the cargo."
"There's theoretically a possibility these weapons can fall into the wrong hands, but what is Al Qaeda going to do with tanks in Somalia?" he said.
Arms analysts questioned why Kenya would purchase Russian-made tanks given that its previous suppliers have been the United States, Britain, and China. Kenya's current tanks are British-built.
Southern Sudan, by contrast, has been buying Russian-made tanks over the last year, officials said, including nearly 50 T-54s battle tanks. That deal drew attention in February when one shipment was held up briefly at the port of Mombasa amid postelection turmoil in Kenya.
Andrew Mwangura, head of the Seafarers Assistance Program in Kenya, said at least three arms shipments destined for southern Sudan have moved through Mombasa over the past year.
The Kenyan government, however, insisted yesterday that the hijacked cargo is "important military equipment paid for by the Kenyan taxpayer for use by the Kenyan military."
A government spokesman declined to comment on why the government was purchasing Russian-made tanks or how they fit into the country's military strategy.
"We don't discuss why we need arms," said spokesman Alfred Mutua. He described allegations that the tanks might be sold or transferred to Sudan as "propaganda. We have not had any tanks go from Kenya to Sudan. Kenya makes sure it's not a conduit for any illegal arms."
Southern Sudanese officials could not be reached for comment yesterday. One southern Sudanese Army official was quoted over the weekend in a Sudanese newspaper as denying that the weapons were headed for the south.
But since signing a 2005 treaty with the regime that ended Sudan's 21-year north-south civil war, the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement has not hidden its desire to strengthen its former guerrilla army. It spends about half its budget on military training, salaries, and supplies.
In addition to purchases and assistance from countries such as the United States, Russia, and Ethiopia, the new autonomous southern Sudan government recently announced it might build its own air force.
Under the terms of the peace treaty, southern Sudan is permitted to operate and fund its own military, separate from the national Sudanese Army. The agreement does not prohibit southern Sudan from purchasing foreign weapons, nor is the region restricted by the UN arms embargo, which covers the Darfur region in western Sudan.
Material from the Associated Press was included in this report. 