S.African police find weapons bound for Somalia

[December 28, 2010]  JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- A shipment of guns apparently bound for Somali pirate hunters has been seized at a home in South Africa, police said Tuesday, in what appeared to be a violation of a U.N. arms embargo in the war-ravaged country.

South African authorities said they did not know who was importing the weapons, but the seizure follows weeks of speculation over a controversial program to train anti-piracy forces in Somalia.

The anarchic country's long coastline is dotted with pirates who prey on the vital shipping route, and millions of dollars are spent each day to maintain a coalition of international warships in the region.

Those involved with the controversial anti-piracy program, including an ex-CIA deputy station chief and a former U.S. ambassador, have refused to say who is funding it. But they have repeatedly insisted no guns would be sent to Somalia in violation of the U.N. arms embargo.

South African police spokesman Vincent Mdunge said police had been tracking the shipment and that four people were arrested last week after the guns were traced to the house outside Durban in eastern South Africa. Two of the suspects were South Africans; he would not disclose the two foreigners' nationalities.

The shipment was comprised of eight assault rifles fitted with telescopic and silencing devices, two AK47s, two shot guns and a revolver.

"There could have been other firearms that are still lying about somewhere," Mdunge said.

The four suspects were freed on bail after their Dec. 23 arrest and are next to appear in court Feb. 7. Police were still trying to determine whether a port official helped move the weapons.

Mdunge would not name the shippers, but said investigators believe that the weapons were being sent to Somalia for use to fight pirates. It was unclear whether the shippers had the proper permits to send the weapons to Somalia, Mdunge said.

He said he did not know whether the weapons were being imported by a private company or the Somali government.

It is also unclear exactly where the weapons were destined, or what their relation might be to a private security contractor who is training 1,000 men for an anti-piracy force in Somalia's semiautonomous northern region of Puntland.

A Somali official said Monday that the new cabinet has given permission for training to take place in the southern capital of Mogadishu as well, where the weak U.N.-backed government is battling an Islamist insurgency.

He did not say how many men would be trained, but said part of the force would be used to protect Somali officials, who are the frequent targets of assassination attempts.

The Somali ambassador previously said that an anti-piracy force of up to 1,000 could also be trained in the capital and that the close protection unit could number up to 300 men. There is little piracy in the area around the capital but many Islamist insurgents.

U.S. officials say it is unclear who is funding the initiative, what its objectives are and whether it breaks a U.N. arms embargo on Somalia.

Millions of dollars have already been spent on equipment and the Muslim country donating the cash has also said that it will pay the salaries of the men it trains. Government forces are currently crippled by desertions because corruption and incompetence mean most soldiers go unpaid for months at a time.

Diplomats have expressed concern that opening a second stream of money, weapons and training will undermine efforts to force the Somali government to become more accountable and reform its defense ministry. They say such efforts are essential to defeating the al-Qaida-linked insurgency, which has carried out suicide bombings in Africa and has threatened to attack the United States.

Numerous Somali officials have identified Uganda-based Saracen International as the security contractor doing the training. But Bill Pelser, the chief executive of Saracen International, has denied his company is involved and says it is another company of the same name registered in Lebanon. Lebanese authorities say they have no record of such a company.

On Tuesday, Pelser again denied involvement and said he was happy to hear of guns bound for Somalia being seized in South Africa.

[Associated Press; By DONNA BRYSON]

Associated Press writer Katharine Houreld in Nairobi, Kenya contributed to this report.

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