Hiiraan Online
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
advertisements
A cargo ship carrying various supplies has docked at the port of Kismayo. No ships have docked at the port in the last weeks after the start of the season where sea travel is dangerous due to whether and only ships big enough to withstand big waves are capable of navigating through the area.The cargo ship came from the United Arab Emirates and is carrying supplies that include construction materials. The ship first docked at Mogadishu port where it offloaded some of its cargo before proceeding to Kismayo.
Kismayo is the third largest city in Somalia and is currently under the control of Al-Shabaab, a hard-line Islamic militia that is waging bloody war against the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia. The United States accuses Al-Shabaab of links with Al-Qaeda.
More significantly, the TFG of Somalia and the IGAD (regional grouping of seven East African States) threatened to blocked ports controlled by opposition groups that are waging war against the TFG. This move challenges that threat.
A spokesman for the Islamic administration of Kismayo Sheik Hasan Ya’qub said that the arrival of the ship is a testament to the fact that there is no blockade on Kisamyo port and called on business owners to use ports under their control.
It is expected that the ship will carry merchandise, mainly charcoal, to Gulf countries where most of Somalia’s export goes.