Pirates' capture of Sudan-bound arms sparks political battle
Top story: In September 2008, Somali pirates hijacked the Faina, a Ukrainian freighter carrying 32 Soviet-era tanks, as well as other weapons. According to the cache of documents released by WikiLeaks, the tanks were destined for southern Sudan. The weapons sale, which had been preceded by the arrival of 67 other tanks, reveals the extent of the arms buildup in Sudan prior to the Jan. 9 referendum that could divide the country in two. It also reveals the extent of the shift in U.S. policy toward Sudan following the Obama administration's assumption of power.
Even before the Faina was seized by pirates, the Ukrainian government had insisted to the United States that the arms shipments were meant for the Kenyan military. However, officials in the Bush administration appeared to believe otherwise - but did not appear particularly distresses that the weapons might be intended for southern Sudan. A U.S. diplomat in Khartoum noted that, given the Sudanese government's arms buildup, the United States understood that the south "feels compelled to do the same."
This position changed during the Obama administration, as State Department officials aggressively pressured the Ukrainian and Kenyan governments to cease future transfers, going so far as to threaten them with sanctions if they did not comply. Obama administration officials argued that the transfers were illegal, since Sudan was on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, though the United States had previously provided southern Sudan with military assistance and the 2005 peace agreement provides the south with the right to purchase arms.
A December 2009 cable related that Kenyan officials were "very confused" by the new U.S. position, and wondered whether it meant that the Obama administration was reconsidering the wisdom of the upcoming referendum and "shifting its support to Khartoum."
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-David KennerPETER MARTELL/AFP/Getty Images
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