Sudanese officials said on Wednesday that a cargo ship seized by Cyprus suspected of trying to deliver weapons to Sudan in contravention of a UN embargo has explosives on board for a gold mining firm.
"The boat contains explosives destined for Port Sudan, for mining firm Ariab which needs them to work a gold mine," Abdelbaqi al-Gilani, Sudan's minister responsible for mining, told AFP.
On Tuesday, Cyprus said it it placed the "Santiago" anchored off the southern city of Limassol under police guard with a suspected military cargo that would contravene a 2004 UN embargo on arms sales and deliveries to Sudan.
Cypriot officials examined the vessel after US authorities alerted them that it was carrying a large amount of explosives bound for Sudan, as well as tanks for Singapore, Phileleftheros newspaper reported.
"The ship is under guard and there are materials that are considered banned, this means either military material or explosives," Commerce Minister Antonis Paschalides told state radio.
"There is definitely military equipment which comes under a ban," he added without elaborating.
Gilani on Wednesday dismissed the allegation.
"Sudan has been importing explosives since the early 1990s to work this gold mine, and has never had any problems in the past. It's the first time this has happened. It's absurd," he said.
The mine at Hassay, 450 kilometres (280 miles) northeast of the capital Khartoum, is Sudan's first — and only — gold mine.
The Ariab group working the mine is 51 percent Sudanese government owned, while 40 percent of the shares are held by holding group Cominor, created by Canada's La Mancha and France's Areva.
An Ariab official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, confirmed that there were explosives on board the Santiago.
"There are 251 tonnes of explosives which are for us. I hope they get here quickly, as we need them to be able to continue operation," the official said.
"I don't know if there is anything else on board the boat, but these explosives are definitely for us."
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