Just over a year ago, the Ukrainian ship M V Faina made the headlines when it was the 26th ship captured by Somali pirates in 2008. The ship was held for several months until a ransom of US$3.2 million was paid and the ship was released. Some embarrassment was caused to the Kenyan government when it was rumoured that the cargo, consisting of 33 Soviet tanks and numerous other weapons including rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns, was bound for Southern Sudan, in defiance of a peace agreement reached in 2005.
The Kenyan government claimed, somewhat unconvincingly, that the tanks and weapons had been ordered for the use of the Kenyan military. The Kenyan military must have had only a short-term use for the equipment, because – surprise, surprise – the tanks have now been spotted in southern Sudan. The build up of arms is threatening the fragile peace between north and south Sudan which was negotiated in 2005 after many years of civil war.
Citizens of the southern part are due to vote in a referendum next year on the question of whether southern Sudan should become independent of northern Sudan. It is expected that if the referendum is allowed to proceed in a fair manner, the vote will be overwhelmingly for independence. The northern-dominated predominantly Muslim government does not have a good reputation in the south or in the west of the country on human rights issues.