Ransomed Ship Filled With Arms Docks In Kenya

Finally free after being held by Somali pirates since September, the Ukranian arms ship MV Fania docks at Mombasa in a glare of publicity. But allegations concerning the ultimate destination of the weapons remain hanging over the Kenyan government.

The notoriously arms-packed ship with the mystery destinations, hijacked by Somali pirates last September, has docked in the Kenyan port of Mombasa. But it's all at sea as to where all that military hardware is ultimately bound for. The Kenyan government made a huge hairy deal of the arrival of the MV Faina, released for a ransom of $3.2m , giving it a military escort to a dock filled with invited media and Kenyan and Ukrainian government officials. All intended to bolster the claim the combat tanks and ammunition on the ship are new supplies for the Kenyan army. As reported by the BBC, controversy still surrounds the freight on the Ukrainian-registered vessel., with regional experts maintaining the cargo was bound for South Sudan. Much hangs in the balance here; if the allegations about Sudan are true, it would be a huge embarrassment for the Kenyan government, a key player in brokering a peace deal between the north and south of Sudan four years ago. This new "openness" is in sharp contrast to the secrecy that has surrounded the ship and its cargo since it was hijacked off the coast of Somalia back in September. But there's still one more secret to unravel. While the crew of 17 survived unharmed, the ship's captain wasn't so lucky, dying two days after the Faina was seized by the pirates The cause of death remains unclear while a Ukrainian television channel ICTV reported Wednesday special services sources have suggested the captain may have been poisoned to conceal the cargo's destination.