From: wsargeant@IGC.ORG (Winslow L. Sargeant)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS:Namibia, botswana accused of 'dang'
Date: 9 Apr 92 14:57:01 GMT

/* Written  6:05 am  Apr  9, 1992 by newsdesk in cdp:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "NAMIBIA: BOTSWANA ACCUSED OF ''DANG" ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Area: Asia, eastern
Title: NAMIBIA: BOTSWANA ACCUSED OF ''DANGEROUS ADVENTURISM''


an inter press service feature

by godfrey karoro

windhoek, apr 6 (ips) -- long-standing tension between botswana
and neighbouring namibia came to a head recently when president
sam nujoma formally complained about botswana's military
manoeuvres in the caprivi strip.

nujoma paid a one-day visit to botswana mar. 18 to lodge a
complaint to president ketumile masire, in the presence of
zimbabwe president robert mugabe, chair of the seven-nation
frontline states -- angola, botswana, mozambique, namibia,
tanzania, zambia and zimbabwe.

a short statement released after ''wide-ranging talks'', said
the three heads of state discussed ''ways of consolidating
cooperation'' among their countries.

''we want to look at how we can, as neighbours, share a point
of the caprivi strip,'' mugabe, who attended the meeting as
mediator, gave a clue of the main topic discussed. ''we want to
see how we can make our countries work together in certain
directions.''

botswana's intentions to claim some parts of the caprivi
strip in namibia are not anything new, a western diplomat told
ips here. gaborone has for long been talking for some time about
some ''big chunks'' of land they wish to claim from their
neighbour.

as far back as 1980, the diplomat notes, the botswana
authorities had sounded the south african government, which then
administered namibia, about their intention to have the border
re-drawn.

namibia attained independence in march 1990.

''the batswana are claiming parts of the okavango,
otjozondjupa and omaheke districts and the whole of the caprivi
strip region,'' said the european diplomat, who wished to remain
anonymous.

there are many people in the named regions who speak
setswana, language of the majority batswana people.

''some people in botswana believe it is their traditional
land,'' adds the diplomat.

an african diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told
ips that some southern african countries are concerned about
botswana's military build-up in the region.


namibia: botswana (2)

the diplomat reiterated reports that the government in
gaborone is building several military garrisons, including three
airforce bases.

two of the airforce bases are sited near the eastern border
with namibia and south of the caprivi strip and that there is a
massive presence of military forces in the areas concerned.

botswana, according to the diplomat, is engaged in
''dangerous'' military manoeuvres in the caprivi strip.

the botswana defence forces (bdf) had hoisted a ''small''
national flag at an ''island'' on the caprivi strip belonging to
namibia.

''a week later, the bdf brought a larger flag after the
small one had been removed by namibia's security forces in a
show of defiance,'' the diplomat says.

''southern african countries are worried that the bases
appear to be targetted at friendly countries. nobody would worry
if they were on the border with white-ruled south africa,'' says
the diplomat.

the deputy secretary-general of namibia's ruling south west
africa people's organisation (swapo) has expressed the party's
concern about the caprivi strip issue.

''our neighbours have been hoisting their flag on our land
and harassing civilians in the area,'' festus naholo told ips.
some namibians have been shot at and two children are known to
have been killed.

''i do not think it is the policy of the (botswana)
government. we believe it is just some undisciplined,
over-zealous soldiers,'' says the swapo official.

''however, it is a serious issue to hoist a flag in another
country. we are talking to them and hope that a solution will be
found,'' he says. naholo expressed hope that ''the dispute will
be solved amicably''.

speaking on his return here from a frontline states meeting
in harare, zimbabwe, last week, namibia's president pledged his
government's resolve to coexist peacefully with its neighbours.

''as a small nation, we will, in our own small way, do
everything possible to promote peace in the region,'' he said,
without explicitly mentioning the caprivi strip border problems.
(end/ips/gk/apc/ar/92)