Mugabe may yet get his Chinese weapons

Remember Mugabe's shipload of Chinese weapons? The world's media lost interest when it appeared to be heading for home. Just yesterday the Wall Street Journal commented on how Beijing had caved in to international pressure over the arms shipment.

The only problem with this story is that there is no evidence of the An Yue Jiang going back to China. Once the media attention shifted elsewhere, it appears that the ship may have doubled back or even just hidden out at sea for a while. The International Transport Workers' Federation believes that the An Yue Jiang is still anchored off the coast of Angola. South Africa's Mail and Guardian reports that Lloyds Maritime Information Unit has no idea of the ship's position and that some of the weapons may already have been unloaded in Luanda. Senior military officers from Mugabe's regime flew to the Angolan capital last week.

Angolan unions say their members will refuse to unload the ship if it docks again but there are fears that, as the An Yue Jiang has its own cranes, it may be able to offload its cargo in secret without needing to use dock labour.

Anyone who thought that Beijing would be forced to throw in the towel so easily must be very naive. The Chinese regime is determined to keep its proxy ruler in power. Those weapons may yet be used against opposition supporters. Mugabe may even have them in time for the election run-off.

Hat Tip: Sokwanele