Arr! Somali Pirates Seize Shipment of Ukrainian Tanks "to Kenya"

What scenario could Kenya possibly be thinking about which would require 30 main battle tanks? These aren't even particularly obsolete models.The T-72 was the top of the line Soviet model from 1971 onward. However, the tanks may have not been intended for Kenya. The second article, a February 2008 article from a newspaper based in the "liberated" Sudanese city of Juba, strongly suggests that Kenya may be involved in transfer of tanks to the South Sudanese government in case of a showdown with Khartoum.

It remains to be seen whether Somali pirates are capable of selling off the booty. Certainly there would be plenty of prospective buyers, but do they even have port facilities capable of unloading them?

Pirates seize ship carrying tanks, ammo

(CNN) -- A Ukrainian ship carrying tanks and ammunition has been seized by pirates off the coast of Kenya, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry told CNN.

FILE PHOTO: Canadian Navy sailors escort an aid ship in waters off Somalia where pirates operate.

The vessel Faina, flying a Belize flag, was headed to the Kenyan port of Mombasa after departing from Nikolayev, Ukraine, according to Lt. Col. Konstantin Sadilov, spokesman for the defense ministry.

He said it was seized by pirates on Thursday not far from its destination.

According to the defense ministry, the ship was carrying 33 Soviet-made T-72 tanks, tank artillery shells, grenade launchers and small arms.

The weapons were sold to Kenya by Ukraine, said Ukraine Defense Minister Yuri Yekhanurov, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

He said the entire shipment was contracted and carried out by Ukrspetzexport, Ukraine's state arms exports monopoly, and it would know better exactly what was on board.

Kenyan government spokesman Alfred Mutua confirmed to The Associated Press that the East African nation's military had ordered the tanks and spare parts, but he did not provide any more details.

The ship deliberately took a route far from the coast of Somalia, where pirates are known to operate, in an attempt to avoid them, the minister said.

Ukraine's anti-terrorist center in its capital, Kiev, is analyzing the situation and consulting with military and security experts, Sadilov told CNN.

Ukrainian diplomats are also working in Kenya to resolve the situation, he said.

The ship's crew consists of 17 Ukrainians, three Russians and a Lithuanian.

The Russian patrol ship Neustrashimy, which left Wednesday for the coast off Somalia, may help crack down on pirates, a source in the Russian Baltic Fleet headquarters told Interfax-AVN on Friday.

And the Russian Navy's commander, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky, told Interfax that Russia plans to send combat ships to the Somali coast to fight piracy.

"We have such plans for the near future," he said. "However, Russian ships will not be involved in any international operations. They will do this job on their own."

http://www.k2-media.org/jubapost/go/record.php?cat=3&recordID=379

Chinese Tanks for SAF, Kenya seizes weapons for SPLA

Staff writer

KHARTOUM (22 Feb.) - The Chinese government has supplied more modern and advanced weapon systems to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) while Kenya has seized weapons bound to the Sudan Peoples liberation Army(SPLA) routed through the port of Mombassa saying that it constitutes a clear violation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), according to a recent press report. According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), there are three recognised army groups: Joint Integrated Unit, Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. The CPA recognises each of these armies as legitimate independent entities. United Press International (UPI) reported on February 15, 2008 in Terra Daily website in its analysis that the Chinese Type 96 (also called Type 88C) tanks were spotted in Sudan last year, indicating that China has exported one of its most modern tanks to Africa. According to the International News Agency and Strategy Page website of February 20, the 50 ton Type 96 has a three man crew and modern sensors and electronics. The 90 series tanks are of Chinese design, and there appears to be as many as 2500 Type 90 series tanks in service, with as many as two thirds of them Type 96s. There are another 700 Type 79s and 80s, both of which were stepping stones to the 90 series. Most Chinese tanks, about 5,000, are Type 59s. Most of these have been upgraded from being a clone of the Russian T-54 to T-54 clones equipped with Western guns (copy of the British L7 105mm gun, firing depleted uranium shells) and modern electronics. China also has a copy of the German 120mm gun, which it may try to install in some Type 59 upgrades. Those Type 59s that don't get upgraded are being scrapped. This apparently means that the Type 59 force will shrink by at least several hundred tanks a year until all are gone. Sudan has, until recently, had a tank force consisting mostly of about 200 Chinese Type 59s, but some of these appear to have been upgraded by the Chinese. Also spotted in Sudan have been Chinese Type 92 wheeled infantry fighting vehicle (similar to the U.S. Stryker). China is very strict about keeping information on its tank force secret. The most modern tanks they have are the Type 98 and 99, which come close to matching early models of the U.S. M-1. Meanwhile, the Kenyan government on February 14, seized at the port of Mombassa 50 tanks for the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) saying it is a member of the CPA Assessment and Evaluation Commission and one of the sponsors of Sudan's peace deal. According to the Khartoum based Al-Ray Al-Aam, Nairobi has said that SPLA military capabilities build-up is contrary to the signed peace agreement. The 2005s peace deal between the former rebel movement and the Khartoum government ended one of Africa's longest civil wars, bringing many fighters out of the bush. In accordance with the CPA, The Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army constitute the Sudan's National Armed Forces during the interim period that are administered differently. Each is independent to develop its forces capacity. The seized containers are the first batch of weapons contracted by the SPLA from former Soviet Union states, rocket launchers, artillery and aircraft had not yet arrived, the Kenyan sources disclosed. The independent daily pointed out that there were a number of containers of spare parts for military vehicles and weapons in Mombassa port. The United States has started military training for SPLA troops in order to transform the former rebel army into a professional army. Washington denied that contracts with a specialized firm, DynCorp, included any arms deal with southern Sudan's government, which donors say has funnelled the biggest chunk of its budget - some 40 percent - into defence.