Thread by @BBCAfrica

THREAD

On Jan 24, a ship called the Bana set sail from Turkey. But 400km off the coast of Libya, the Bana disappeared from the radar.

Where did it go?

What was it carrying?

And why does it matter?

#BBCAfricaEye investigates…

This is why it matters.

Libya is now in the ninth year of a civil war that has brought misery to its people.

Two main factions are fighting for control.

In the west, the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) holds the capital, Tripoli.

Much of the rest of the country is controlled by the Libyan National Army (LNA).

But these are not the only players.

Vying for influence, at least six foreign powers have been sending weapons, money, or men into Libya’s civil war.

Russia, Egypt, Jordan and the UAE are backing the LNA.

Turkey and Qatar are supporting the GNA.

All the major players - including Turkey’s President Erdogan - met in Berlin on January 19th.

Led by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, they reached an agreement: no foreign power should send weapons into Libya’s chaos.

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#BBCAfricaEye can now show you that, just a few days after Erdogan left Berlin, Turkey broke that agreement.

The Bana left Mersin, Turkey, on January 24th, heading for the Tunisian port of Gabes.

But 3 days later, the ship’s transponder was switched off.

Where did it go?

Images from January 28th offer a clue.

To the NE of Tripoli, a satellite picked up 3 tiny specks.

In the centre is a boat whose dimensions and colour scheme exactly match those of the Bana.

So what about the other ships?

This image, posted from Tripoli on January 29, gives another clue.

It shows the Bana was escorted by a G-Class military frigate.

The only navy that uses these G-Class frigates is Turkey’s.

Satellite imagery taken on the same day completes the picture.

It shows the Bana, docked at the port of Tripoli, Libya.

What cargo was the Turkish navy protecting?

This video, posted to Twitter on January 30, gives an answer.

It was filmed in the hold of the Bana, and shows a series of weapons including armoured combat vehicles, cannons, self-propelled howitzers, and an anti-aircraft gun.

There’s nothing in the video that tells us the name of the ship we’re looking at.

But BBC Africa Eye has obtained these exclusive images, taken on board the same ship during the same crossing.

We know it’s the same ship because the configuration of vehicles seen here exactly matches that seen in the video.

And one in this series of photos confirms that this is indeed the Bana.

It’s an image taken from the bridge.

Outside the window we see one of the G-Class navy frigates that escorted the Bana across the Mediterranean.

We can also see that the windows and the railing exactly match those of the Bana.

Three days after it left Tripoli, the Bana reached the Italian port of Genoa, where a member of the crew told police that the ship had been used to carry arms.

That claim is confirmed by images taken on board by Italian authorities.

One captures a unique pattern of damage left on a ramp - a fingerprint of marks that exactly matches the video filmed when the weapons were still on board.

Five sailors, interviewed by the Italian authorities, added detail to what we know from the visual evidence.

One told police: “In Mersin we entered the port and loaded arms...I heard the sound of vehicles and tracked vehicles being brought on board.”

Another told the authorities that the weapons included tanks, jeeps with anti-tank guns, and explosives.

They were guarded, he said, by 10 Turkish soldiers.

Contacted by the BBC, the Turkish government did not respond to the findings in this investigation.

Turkey is not the only country sending weapons into Libya.

But this shipment is the most flagrant violation of the UN arms embargo we have yet seen.

On Feb 4, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the behaviour of some member states.

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So far, resolutions and condemnations have done nothing to bring an end to Libya’s endless war.

You can watch the full version of this #BBCAfricaEye investigation on our @youtube channel, including documentation of another secret arms shipment from Turkey to Libya in 2019.

This investigation was a team effort led by @bendobrown, backed by @ChFrancavilla @MarcoGras @yaolri & @yoruklsik the "Bosphorus Observer.”

It was produced by @danielsilas @effisfor @kelvinnews @svanhooymissen. Thanks @EmilyComms @marcperky

#NothingStaysHiddenForever

Correct tag for Yoruk the legendary Bosphorus Observer is @YorukIsik Thanks also to @BBCNawal and analysts @Oded121351 and @AbraxasSpa