11/10/08 (B469) Press TV. Selon les pirates somaliens, le matériel militaire à bord du Faina serait destiné à soutenir un plan occidental de destruction de la Somalie. // Pirates: West plans to destroy Sudan (En Anglais – Info lecteur)

Pirates say the weapons on board the ship are meant to be used against Sudan.

Somali pirates say the weapons aboard the seized Ukrainian ship MV Faina are part of the West’s ‘secret’ plans for ‘destroying’ Sudan.

Sudan’s Christian opposition groups were meant to receive the on-board armament and use it against the Muslim majority and the Omar Al-Bashir administration, a spokesman for the pirates told Press TV.

We have documents proving that the weapons were earmarked for the Christian Sudanese opposition, pirates’ spokesman Sugule Ali said, inviting the Arab League and the international news outlets emissaries to verify his claims.

The evidence point to the conclusion that the West seeks a strong foothold in Sudan, Ali said.

On September 25, the MV Faina and its 17 crewmembers were captured off Somalia’s coastal region of Puntland where the pirates’ presence has complicated naval transportation.

The vessel allegedly holds around 100 pieces of military hardware including tanks, anti-aircraft missiles and automatic weapons.

The West’s plans poses threats to Omar Al-Bashir’s government, says the pirate spokesman.

The Kenyan port of Mombassa had been chosen as a stopover for the ship en route to Sudan, the pirates’ spokesman Ali said. He also warned Kenya against laying any claims to the weapons and accused Nairobi of fueling Sudan’s crisis.

The spokesman added despite the international condemnation of their banditry, they would not pose any threats neither to the UN aid convoys to Somalia nor the vessels docking at Somali ports for business.

The pirate called on the concerned nations to task an impartial committee with addressing the stalemate in Somali waters.