• Authorities in Namibia have stopped a suspected Israeli supply ship from docking in their ports after a police investigation was conducted.
• The ship containers were found to be full of weapons and “explosive materials” to aid Israelis in their genocide of Palestinians.
The Namibian government has prohibited a cargo ship from docking in their ports after reports claiming it was carrying arms and “explosive materials” intended for the Israelis.
The MV Kathrin cargo vessel, registered with Portugal but owned by a German company – Concord Shipping, entered Namibian waters under suspicious circumstances.
The ship supposedly began its journey from Vietnam before requesting permission to dock at the port of Walvis Bay, where it would then havecontinued its journey north, likely toward the Mediterranean via the Strait of Gibraltar.
However, the ship had not given any reasons for wanting to dock prior to its arrival at the Namibian port of Walvis Bay, which was consideredunusual at the time.
Vessels on long journeys typically stop at ports to replenish supplies like fuel, as well as provide crew with some respite, or offload and take on new cargo. given the length of the journey they could be on.
When reports claiming that the vessel may be carrying weapons intended for the Israelis, Namibia’s Justice Minister Yvonne Dausab, who earlier this year spoke out against the genocide of Palestinians, intervened on the matter and took steps to prevent the docking of the ship.
Namibian Justice Minister Yvonne Dausab speaking at UN Human Rights Council in February.
Responding to questions put to her on the country’s stance in not allowing the vessel to dock, Dausab responded:
“Yes, I have asked Namport via the line ministry to consider the request to not allow the vessel MV Kathrin to dock in our ports.”
According to the Minister, the decision taken by her aligns with Namibia’s stance on the Israeli invasion of Palestine, reflecting the country’s support for Palestine and its call for an end to the violence.
“As such, it was necessary to engage authorities in Namibia on issues of concern to ensure our decisions and actions domestically are aligned with our obligations in terms of international law and our policy stance of many years on Palestine.”
Like their neighbouring nation South Africa, Dausab demonstrates Namibia’s relative ease in complying with its obligations under international law, specifically the conventions they are party to, such as the Genocide Convention, unlike their Western nation counterparts.
“Upon receiving reports that a vessel may be carrying weapons intended for Israel, I addressed a letter to Cabinet, international relations ministry, works ministry, as well as the safety and security ministry, advising and reminding them of our international obligations, not only under the Genocide Convention but also as articulated in the recent advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It is against this background that I requested the relevant authorities not to allow the vessel MV Kathrin to dock at the Walvis Bay port.”
The Justice Minister, who earlier this year spoke at the 55th Human Rights Council condemning the Israelis for committing the atrocities against Palestinians, went on to cite an investigation conducted by the Namibian Police Force on the ship.
The police were able to quickly establish that the vessel was indeed heading for Israel while carrying arms and explosive materials, which led to the MV Kathrin being prohibited from entering Namibian waters, and where Dausab continued to reiterate:
“Namibia complies with our obligation not to support or be complicit in Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, as well as its unlawful occupation of Palestine.”
She added that it would be encouraging if all countries, in particular African countries, followed suit and did their part to show support for the Palestinian people by taking whatever action is within their power and scope.
Dausab confirmed that Namibia remains resolute in supporting the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, free from unlawful occupation, and condemns the ongoing genocide perpetrated against them.
Last week, rights groups warned Namibia’s parliament in Windhoek that the country could implicate itself in grave human rights violations had it allowed the vessel to dock.
“We are pleased that our government has decided to respect international law and decided not to be complicit to genocide,” the chairman of the Economic and Social Justice Trust (ESJT) human rights group, Herbert Jauch told the BBC.
Earlier this year before his death, Namibian president Hage Geingob chastised Germany’s “shocking decision” to support the illegal Israeli occupiers in the genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) brought by South Africa.
In one of his final messages against a country that has been complicit in numerous genocides, Geingob went on to say:
“Germany cannot morally express commitment to the United Nations Convention against genocide, including atonement for the genocide in Namibia, whilst supporting the equivalent of a holocaust and genocide in Gaza.”
