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CAPRIVI STRIP CONFLICT REQUIRES A ROUND TABLE POLITICAL SOLUTION
October 25, 2012
CAPRIVI STRIP CONFLICT REQUIRES A ROUND TABLE POLITICAL SOLUTION

From 1964 Caprivians have been fighting to liberate their motherland first from the apartheid white South African minority rule and now SWAPO of Namibia has replaced and taken the same position of colonizing and occupying that territory by force. It is our conviction that if people feel oppressed, suppressed or even threatened by the power that be, that they have no option but to defend themselves. People of South West Africa and those from the Caprivi Strip joined hands to fight and liberate their two countries under the umbrella party SWAPO, but the union never saw sun rise.

At the Namibian independence from 1990, the people of the Caprivi Strip waited to see and hear from the people of South West Africa honoring the 1964 Lusaka agreement but to no avail. When they tried to ask or follow it up, they were met with brute force that saw the exodus of many fleeing into the neighboring country Botswana. Many were arrested and released but after August 2nd 1999 many were arrested, tortured, and detained to date. In the Namibian prisons debilitating conditions had its toll on Caprivians that twenty four (24) inmates, believed to have been poisoned, perished.

On the September 25th, 2012, The Namibian President Hefikepunye Pohamba while addressing the UN General Assembly’s 67th Session was quoted stressing the role of regional bodies in resolving conflicts. Mr. Pohamba stressed that the United Nation should consider the views of regional organizations when it comes to resolving conflicts and he commended the role played by African organizations in settling disputes on the continent. He further stressed the fact that unresolved conflicts around the world demand commitment and resolve from everyone to find durable solutions. Again he stated that these institutions should be fully supported in finding lasting solutions to “violent” conflicts around the world.

It is believed that charity begins at home; Mr. Pohamba was concerned about the deteriorating security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Southern Sudan, and Madagascar while he left in his back yard the unresolved Caprivi Strip case. It is really a good thing to talk about peaceful resolution to conflicts but to act differently is another. While the President talked about peaceful resolution, we fail to comprehend his approach and strategy because people hold others accountable for their commitment not only to talking the talk but also to walking the walk. Practice what you preach and many will find your rhetoric credible enough.

We also are aware that all these organizations he talked about starting with the United Nation (UN), African Union (AU), and the South African Development Community (SADC) were formed by governments and thus are there to serve government interests and not the suffering masses. It is from this perspective that we feel there should be room within the United Nations apparatus for indigenous people to air their views or seek justice and freedom, a point purposely left closed, at least to the suffering masses.

In closing, Mr. Pohamba’s assertion that only violent conflicts should attract attention from these institutions is but how the international community must frame and understand the Namibian government. It is clear from this point that the Namibian leaders are war mongers who would not entertain peaceful solutions to conflicts, but committed to finding solutions to their problems only through the barrel of a gun.

We shall stop at nothing in our quest to liberate ourselves from the york of colonialism, oppression, and suppression unleashed by the SWAPO government of Namibia. It is also time for the international community to take the bull by its horns and hold Namibia accountable for the atrocities they have committed on Caprivians.

UDP Bulela Sicaba Sa Utwa.

Chrispin Mutoiwa

UDP Secretary for Information
Mutcrio@yahoo.com


Source: United Democratic Party (UDP)


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