Bin Laden tycoon aims to build Arab-Africa sea bridge

[me]

Bin Laden tycoon aims to build Arab-Africa sea bridge

 

7 hours ago

 

DJIBOUTI (AFP) — Moses once parted the Red Sea ... now Osama bin Laden's half-brother is planning to build a bridge over it.

 

Building on engineering feats such as the Channel Tunnel between England and France, the Panama Canal linking the Atlantic to the Pacific and the Suez Canal joining the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, the proposed bridge would link Yemen to Djibouti, creating a man-made link between the Middle East and Africa.

 

Costing 14 billion euros (22 billion dollars), stretching around 28.5 kilometres (18 miles) and encompassing a six-lane motorway and a four-track railway, the bridge would be of Biblical proportions.

 

And the man behind it bears a familiar name, too -- Tarek bin Laden, half-brother of the leader of Al-Qaeda.

 

Tarek, a Saudi construction magnate, has been lobbying the Yemen and Djibouti governments to back the project, which would create a direct link between Arabia and east Africa, without the need to travel by the Sinai peninsula.

 

Djibouti Prime Minister Dileita Mohamed Dileita said his government was not actively involved.

 

"The project fell on us from the sky with the proposal by Osama bin Laden's (half) brother, who has a construction company in Saudi Arabia," Dileita told AFP.

 

"People are talking about it a lot here -- the Yemenis are convinced the project will be carried out with Saudi and Emirates' funds to connect the Arab world to Africa."

 

The plan envisages building new cities at either end of the bridge -- which would itself in fact be a combination of bridges, with a stopoff point in the centre of the "Bab ed Mandeb" (Gates of Hell) straights at Perim Island.

 

"Numerous American, Yemeni and even French businesses are taking part in the project," the prime minister said.

 

"But the big advantage will be to take millions of African Muslims to Mecca, by train or by bus."

 

Indeed, on top of the commercial and logistic aspects, one of the key attractions of the bridge is spiritual -- serving as an easier crossing for millions of African Muslims who make the pilgrimage to the holy shrine of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, each year.

 

One of the new cities at either end of the bridge would be called the City of Light (Medinet an Noor) and at 600 square kilometres (230 square miles) would be six times the land-mass of Paris and serve as a trade, commercial and tourist hub for anticipated traffic.

 

"We don't yet know if it will be in the north of Djibouti or in Yemen," said Deleita.

 

The bridge would in total measure around 28.5 kilometres, including a 3.5 kilometre link to the island and a final 13 kilometre crossing to Africa -- the longest suspension bridge in the world.

 

That, the developers say, could create 100,000 construction jobs over the 10 year build time.

 

There are however major obstacles in the way, both man-made and natural.

 

The bridge will cross a site known for intense seismic activity. In 1978 massive tectonic plate movement triggered an eruption from Djibouti's Ardoukoba volcano and an earthquake measuring between three and 5.3 on the Richter scale.

 

The lava flows radically altered the seabed.

 

Yet the ministry which looks after Djibouti's environment says it is confident the project design can plan for such acts of nature.

 

Such tectonic plate shifts are "not something that happens suddenly, but are generally predictable, so the key is for architects to come up with plans which take into account these movements," said Aboubakar Douale Waiss, the general secretary of the ministry for the environment, towns and urban planning.

 

Another potential dilemma is the fate of Djibouti's port, which currently handles more than 120,000 vehicles a year, mostly on business to and from Ethiopia. A road bridge would seriously dent that trade.

 

But Waiss insisted the increased economic and political stability of Djibouti will be enough to support both bridge and port.

 

"The bridge and the port are complementary," he said. "There are huge populations in the areas behind Djibouti -- 80 million in Ethiopia alone -- and the traffic will just continue to grow."

 

Finally, as the United States and France have substantial military bases in Djibouti, there are fears the new link will prove a tempting terrorist target, or simply provide easier access to some of the impoverished states in the Horn of Africa for Islamic extremists.

[Seekknowledge]

something tells me this is all a plan from the United States. After all the bin ladens and the bushes are very good friends. Stay tuned for more.....

[N.O.R.F]

All that for $22b?? I don't think so.

 

What happens when you get to the other end? Do you have sit in a dusty hut in Yemen and wait for a bus to take you onto Suadiya or UAE?

 

For this to work a train network for the whole gulf is needed.

[me]

It's not for Africans to come to Arabia...but for Arabs to come to Africa...they want to take over our land.

[N.O.R.F]

I would have to agree with you on that. They seem to want to buy everything in site.

[me]

Lets strech horta, armee u caawinayaan wadaadada qaar ka mid ah, si ay ugu fidaan dhulkeena?

[N.O.R.F]

They see opportunities and go for it. Countries with little in the way of laws protecting their economy etc whilst they have laws forbidding foreign firms buying their telecoms, electricty and water companies.

 

Its all about the greenback. Being brothers has nothing to do with it.

[me]

I think they are even thinking further then that.

[N.O.R.F]

^^Like what?

[peasant]

Actually i am more concerned about other things..I dont know if you guys ever heard of it but there is a prophecy of a leader like Abraha will attack the kacbah again and he will be defeated badly. As we know Abraha was from ethiopia and in the prophecy this leader is also from ethiopia. That is one of the signs of the end of the hour. Well we also know ethiopia does not have naval capabilities perhaps this bridge will help their army to march to arabia....hahahha that is my thought of this bridge..

[me]

Norf colonization, not like the one we experienced, but real colonization.

 

 

heheheh@peasant.

[N.O.R.F]

^^Interesting thought.

 

As for the bridge, I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

[me]

I don't think it will happen anytime soon too, maybe in 40 years time. We are not reday for it yet. When we are ready we will build our own bridge.

[Naxar Nugaaleed]

it will probably be name the intercontinental Khat highway or bridge.

[Abu-Salman]

Let's stop reading into people's minds: our Arab brothers are just as varied as others.

 

So far, their investments have proved extremely invaluable while their level of Aid is infinitely more generous, without ulterior political motives or typical clauses a la Western, when even arms purchased from national companies are counted as "aid".

 

For instance, both the privatised Port and Airport in Djibouti have witnessed a surge in productivity owing to Khat ban and more transparency, while Kuweiti and other charities are busy with managing a super-orphanage with school, clinic etc.

 

Of course, one can not aim for exhaustivity on a forum, but suffice to mention that from the very moment of our independence, Iraq, Lybia, Saudi Arabia etc have been funding our vital national arteries such as the king Fahd Road, Hospitals, Islamic Centres & Education, Housing, while still providing many with no string attached scholarships as well as constant humanitarian relief (not in the form of typical agricultural dumping designed to sustain dependency once the crisis is almost over!)...