Angola has given authorisation for a Chinese ship loaded with arms destined for Zimbabwe to dock but it will not be allowed to unload the weapons, the state news agency Angop reported on Friday. The ship, the An Yue Jiang, has been authorised to dock in the capital Luanda but can only unload "merchandise destined for Angola," Angop said, citing a government statement. "The weaponry that the ship brings destined for Zimbabwe is not authorised to be unloaded on national territory," the statement was quoted as saying. It was not immediately clear if the ship had already docked in Luanda. The ship, which is owned by Chinese state shipping company Cosco, is loaded with several containers of assault rifle ammunition, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar rounds ordered by Zimbabwe. Following a protest by dock workers, a South African court last week banned the arms from being transported through South African territory and there has been an international outcry over the shipment.
Human rights groups fear the arms could be used as part of a government crackdown on opposition supporters in Zimbabwe following disputed parliamentary and presidential elections on March 29. China appeared to heed international pressure this week, saying the ship was being turned back, even though it has defended its right to sell arms to Zimbabwe as part of its international trade. "To my knowledge, the Chinese company has decided to bring back the boat," Jiang Yu, a foreign ministry spokeswoman, told reporters in Beijing on Thursday after a call from the United States for the arms to be turned back. In an interview with state television aired on Friday, Zimbabwean Defence Minister Sydney Sekeremayi, defended the shipment saying it was part of regular arms purchases from China. "We received a lot of arms and equipment from China during the time of the liberation struggle. The cooperation has continued and we continue to buy and receive arms from China," Sekeremayi said. The European Union and the United States have banned arms sales to Zimbabwe as part of a package of sanctions that includes a travel ban and asset freeze on top officials including President Robert Mugabe.
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