[ad_1]
A ship suspected by Namibian authorities of carrying military cargo destined for use by Israel in the ongoing war in Gaza has been banned from docking in the southern African country.
Namibian Justice Minister Yvonne Dausab told state media the ship was detained because it was “carrying explosives destined for Israel.”
The MV Kathrin, which departed from Vietnam, requested permission to dock at Walvis Bay and then sailed north, suspected to be heading to the Mediterranean via the Strait of Gibraltar.
Human rights groups have warned that Namibia could be implicated in human rights violations if it allowed the ship to dock.
It was not immediately clear why the ship was stopping, but vessels on long voyages often stop to resupply, rest or to unload or load cargo.
Last December, Namibia’s neighbor and ally South Africa filed a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel has rejected the genocide accusation, calling it “baseless.”
The conflict began on October 7 when Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
The Israeli military then launched a campaign to eliminate Hamas, and more than 40,430 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Walvis Bay is Namibia’s largest commercial port, receiving nearly 900 ships and handling about 8 million tonnes of cargo each year, according to the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport).
Ms Dasab told the state news agency that the MV Kathrin, which was due to sail from Vietnam to Walvis Bay on Monday, was intercepted in response to Namibia’s support for the Palestinian people and the country’s call for an end to violence in Gaza. New Era News Network.
Citing a police investigation, Ms Dausab said the ship “was indeed carrying explosives destined for Israel and was therefore prohibited from entering Namibian waters”.
“Namibia fulfills our obligations and does not support or participate in Israel’s war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and illegal occupation of Palestine,” she said.
Namibian human rights group Economic and Social Justice Trust (ESJT) welcomed the move.
Herbert Jauch of ESJT told the BBC: “We are happy that our government has decided to respect international law and not to participate in genocide.”
Namport has not yet responded to the BBC’s comments about the MV Kathrin. Prior to Ms Dausab’s statement, the company said it had not received pre-clearance documents for the vessel.
But the agency pledged to ensure “effective security of our territorial waters and ports.”
It also expressed support for Namibia’s “positions and stances on international relations and protocols”.
The Namibian Ports Company said it had recently allowed another ship carrying “dangerous cargo” to pass through Namibian waters but did not allow it to dock.
[ad_2]
Source link
