UN military vehicles disappear in Africa
The equipment was Belgian, but Belgium's not really the focus of the story.
Belgian military material valued at several million euros went missing in the African nation Equatorial Guinea at the end of last year. Some 15 expensive armoured Pandur vehicles, several trucks, radio equipment and tents went missing, newspaper 'Het Laatste Nieuws' reported on Friday. The material was meant to be delivered to UN peacekeeping troops in Benin. The troops are to protect election observers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo later this year. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is now negotiating with the Equatorial Guinea government in a bid to regain the military equipment. How high has the bidding gone, do you think? | The Belgian Defence Ministry said the equipment departed
from Zeebrugge in December and travelled to Tanzania on a Ukrainian container ship. The captain moored the ship at an island near Equatorial Guinea, but the four soldiers entrusted with guarding the equipment were captured. The military equipment was then unloaded and has since disappeared. The Defence Ministry fears the armoured vehicles and other equipment have been sold.
Posted by: Seafarious 2006-02-04 |